Core Topics:
Power
Power is the ability to effect (create) change - Joseph Nye
- It is the ability to influence the behaviour of others to get the outcomes you want
- Any political actor can make change happen
- Centre of politics (dynamics of power between people and groups of people)
The definition of power and its relationship to the study of global politics is subject to debate and should be treated as
contestable.
Types of Powers -
-hard power (includes using force and/or money to push a political actor into doing something they might not otherwise have
done) force / incentives / religion
Ex. EU, world economy, global military spending, sanctions
-soft power (is the ability to influence political actor by creating attraction through culture,language,education and diplomacy)
Ex. k-pop, ikea,fifa,harvard,british royal family
-smart power (is the ability to influence a political actor by combining hard and soft power into a successful strategy where they
reinforce each other it relies on alliance and institutions)
,Characteristics of Hard / Soft Power
Hard Power Soft Power
Military and economic power Cultural power
Short term immediate effect Ability to shape the preferences of others by attraction
Controlled by states or organisations Long term, delayed effect
Explicit / direct Co-option
Push Pull
Coerison implicit/ indirect
Tangible , easy to measure, predictable to a certain degree Intangible, hard to measure, unpredictable
Ability to change others position by force or inducement Mostly non-states
Structural and Relational Power -
- Structural power reflects the influence wielded by actors, often states / groups of states, but also can include international
institutions.
Ex. NATO, IMF (International Military Fund) , WHO (World Health Organization), EU
A central aspect of structural power is the ability to establish norms.
, Norm = rule or standard of behaviour shared by members of a social group. Ex UN (the norm of sovereignty is key to the United
Nations structure)
- Relational power is when a state has a relationship with another state and uses this relationship to influence the other state
to change its behaviour
Ex. Ukraine and its Western Allies
The 3 Dimensions of Power; Power over, Power with, Power to -
Power over: Based on force,coercion, and dominance. Seen as a “win-lose” relationship.
Power With: a cooperative form of power based on collaboration and shared interests. Seen as a “win-win” relationship.
Power to: Based on the idea that someone has the power to be able to bring about an outcome - i.e the power “of being able to”.
(Ex. USA with Afghanistan)
Legitimacy
Definition: Legitimacy means the people accept the states right to rule over them.
- Citizens are central to legitimacy because they have the numbers - i.e there is always more of them than those in power.
Power
Power is the ability to effect (create) change - Joseph Nye
- It is the ability to influence the behaviour of others to get the outcomes you want
- Any political actor can make change happen
- Centre of politics (dynamics of power between people and groups of people)
The definition of power and its relationship to the study of global politics is subject to debate and should be treated as
contestable.
Types of Powers -
-hard power (includes using force and/or money to push a political actor into doing something they might not otherwise have
done) force / incentives / religion
Ex. EU, world economy, global military spending, sanctions
-soft power (is the ability to influence political actor by creating attraction through culture,language,education and diplomacy)
Ex. k-pop, ikea,fifa,harvard,british royal family
-smart power (is the ability to influence a political actor by combining hard and soft power into a successful strategy where they
reinforce each other it relies on alliance and institutions)
,Characteristics of Hard / Soft Power
Hard Power Soft Power
Military and economic power Cultural power
Short term immediate effect Ability to shape the preferences of others by attraction
Controlled by states or organisations Long term, delayed effect
Explicit / direct Co-option
Push Pull
Coerison implicit/ indirect
Tangible , easy to measure, predictable to a certain degree Intangible, hard to measure, unpredictable
Ability to change others position by force or inducement Mostly non-states
Structural and Relational Power -
- Structural power reflects the influence wielded by actors, often states / groups of states, but also can include international
institutions.
Ex. NATO, IMF (International Military Fund) , WHO (World Health Organization), EU
A central aspect of structural power is the ability to establish norms.
, Norm = rule or standard of behaviour shared by members of a social group. Ex UN (the norm of sovereignty is key to the United
Nations structure)
- Relational power is when a state has a relationship with another state and uses this relationship to influence the other state
to change its behaviour
Ex. Ukraine and its Western Allies
The 3 Dimensions of Power; Power over, Power with, Power to -
Power over: Based on force,coercion, and dominance. Seen as a “win-lose” relationship.
Power With: a cooperative form of power based on collaboration and shared interests. Seen as a “win-win” relationship.
Power to: Based on the idea that someone has the power to be able to bring about an outcome - i.e the power “of being able to”.
(Ex. USA with Afghanistan)
Legitimacy
Definition: Legitimacy means the people accept the states right to rule over them.
- Citizens are central to legitimacy because they have the numbers - i.e there is always more of them than those in power.
