Politics Stuff

Authority is the right to exercise the power and influence of a position that comes from having been placed in that position.   Power is the ability to get others to do what you want or not want them to do. The ability to exercise authority or to put plans or decision into action. Power that is legitimate is seen as fair and right and so coercion (force) is not needed. Authority is a philosophical concept, and power a sociological concept.
To understand the concept of authority, it has to be discussed in relation to the concept of power. Power is the ability to influence others through the use of threats or manipulation.   Power that is legitimate is seen as fair and right and so force is not needed. Most people obey rules even if they don’t agree with them. This is because they accept the prevailing system of government as legitimate. This legitimate power is called authority.
In order for someone to have authority they must have legitimacy or rightfulness. They have the right to give orders, or make pronouncements or decisions.
Max Weber was a 19th century German sociologist who developed ideas about how society works, including the way in which power can become authority. Weber believed that there is a fixed amount of power in any society, and that power held by any individual or group is power which is not available to any other individual or group. He also argued that power is always used to further the interests of those who hold it.
Weber identified three types of authority which are Traditional authority, Charismatic authority and Rational-legal authority.   Traditional authority depends upon a belief in established customs and traditions. Those in authority expect obedience and loyalty on the grounds that established customs and traditions demand it. For example, the tradition of an hereditary monarchy demands that a new monarch commands as much obedience and loyalty as the previous monarch did.
Charismatic authority Depends upon the special qualities of...