Power: So Easy to Understand, So Hard to Study §

Class: IS405 Created Time: November 22, 2021 3:34 PM Database: Class Notes Database Last Edited Time: November 22, 2021 4:20 PM Type: Lecture

• Realism only believe in hard power: ability to force people to do what you want them to do.
• Constructivism: you can still use hard power, but if you can change the identity or social norm of another you can have them do what you want.
• The concept of power has changed
  • Hard power: has always been military

Four Types of Power §

1. Compulsory Power: a range of relations between actors that allow one actor to force another to do what they wouldn’t do on their own
   • Exchange in X: Coercion, persuasion, influence, incentive
     • Asymmetric Interdependence
2. Institutional Power: actor’s control of another indirectly through formal and informal institutions to guide, steer, or limit the actions and condition of existence of another
   • Exchange of limits in power for participation in institution: less sovereignty, limit actions of members for the mutual benefits
   • UN’s P5 can put sanctions, reject statehood,
   • Doesn’t require military power, only legitimacy soft power
   • One actor can affect another’s action through institutional arrangements such as
     • Decisional rules
     • Formalized line of responsibility
     • Division of labor
3. Productive Power: ability/attempt of produce the idea that are accepted and adopted as norms, beliefs, and
   • Ability to define what is right and what is wrong
   • Civilized/barbarian, European/Asian, Stable/Chaotic, Democratic/Authoritarian
4. Structural Power: is productive power that has already been accepted as legitimate, norm that has already been embededinto structure of the system actors interact.