01
Front
What is political power?
Back
Power is the ability to influence people’s actions or shape outcomes.
Free Online Flashcard Deck
2 Authority, Legitimacy, and Compliance Free Online FlashCards
Study 2 Authority, Legitimacy, and Compliance with 12 free online flashcards. Review key terms, definitions, and concepts with this interactive flashcard deck.
12 cards
02
Front
What distinguishes authority from power?
Back
Authority is power understood as a right to make binding decisions or issue directives.
03
Front
What does descriptive legitimacy measure?
Back
Descriptive legitimacy concerns whether people believe an institution or leader has the right to rule.
04
Front
What question does normative legitimacy ask?
Back
Normative legitimacy asks whether an institution or leader is actually justified in exercising political power.
05
Front
Can public acceptance and moral justification diverge?
Back
Yes. A regime can be widely accepted yet violate basic rights, while a regime that claims to act justly may lack public recognition.
06
Front
What is the basis of traditional authority?
Back
Traditional authority is accepted because of custom and inherited practice, such as customary succession to a monarchy.
07
Front
What sustains charismatic authority?
Back
Charismatic authority rests on followers’ belief in a leader’s exceptional qualities or mission.
08
Front
What is the basis of legal-rational authority?
Back
Legal-rational authority rests on impersonal rules and the authority of established offices.
09
Front
In legal-rational authority, what carries authority beyond a particular officeholder?
Back
In legal-rational authority, the office—not the officeholder personally—is the source of authority; a successor can hold the same powers by following the rules.
10
Front
How should Weber’s three authority types be understood?
Back
Weber’s three authority types are ideal types: analytical models that real political systems may combine.
11
Front
How do obedience and compliance differ?
Back
Obedience means acting in accordance with an authority’s directive; compliance more broadly means following a rule or request.
12
Front
What are common reasons people comply with rules?
Back
People may comply because of coercion, self-interest, habit or social norms, belief in legitimacy, or agreement with a particular directive.
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