👉The power of public opinion is ignored means power is pluralistic or distributive as different Pradhan in different village.
👉 According to Karl Mannheim:
➡️(Book "ideology and Utopia"),
➡️Elites are different from totalitarians.In democracy, People remove leaders when not work according to their expectations.
Power changes moment to moment and issue to issue.
👉According to David Reisman:
➡️Rejected CW Mills Theory of power concentration at federal, corporations and military as there is so much diversity in thoughts and interests in USA.
👉Altruistic motives do exist without thinking about power like charity not to gain power.
👉Modern society is complex and has various power centres means power is pluralistic in nature.
👉According to Robert Dahl:
➡️In his one Book "Who Governs"
➡️found in New Haven, Connecticut that power is dispersed.
Arnold Rose also reconfirmed the same in his study.
Pluralistic theory of Power
💪Talcott Parsons and classical pluralism of power emphasis on equilibrium, stability, decentalized and gradual change in society.
💪Power is widely shared, diffused and fragmented. It derives from multiple sources.
💪Diverse groups have different conflicting interest so none play dominant role and natural balance of power is preserved through bargaining and compromise.
💪 Alexis de Tocqueville stated that :
Democracy will become dysfunctional if dominated by one interest.It means that State act like honest broker and try to come on one common ground.
💪Neil Smelser talk about "strain theory"
When leader doesn't listen the voice of divergent group, they started social movement and lead to voice recognition.
💪Talcott Parson defined the power as "variable sum" and criticized Weber for "constant sum" of power. power can be decreases or increase.
For Example: Due to materialistic nature of Westernization culture, modernity has raised lifestyle for all.It is structural feature of society and generalised facility of resource.It is capacity to mobilize resources for attainment goals.Hence, Power is value consensus, goals are shared and power is further used to collective goals.
Parsonian conception of Authority-
💪Modern democracy is just like bank account, peoples collectively develop the consensus to select the bank and deposit the money. If bank perform, the peoples keep the money in the bank otherwise peoples withdraw the money from bank and deposit in other bank. In the same way, peoples collectively develop the consensus to vote for leaders to work for them otherwise peoples withdraw "deposit power" and provide to others.
Hence, Talcott parson state that:
For achieving common goals, cooperation requires organization and direction which necessitate position of command.
💪Max Weber theory - Zero Sum
Aspect of social relationship and present situation; fixed amount- somebody gain is somebody loss; Differs from situation to situation;
He stated legimitate power in the form of three ideal types - Charismatic, Traditional and Rational-Legal(Law)
Criticism
🗣 Steven Lukes:
Pluralist discuss concentration of power on first phase only(at decision level) not second and third(desire shape).
🗣Not all interest groups are having equal power(Example Syria, rohingya refugees).
🗣Safe decisions are taken in disguise by the state in the form of "honest broker".
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