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The development of this course has been funded by the Curriculum Resource Center (“CRC”) at the Central European University (“CEU”), whose programs are partially funded by the Higher Education Support Program (“HESP”). The opinions expressed herein are the author’s own and do not necessarily express the views of CEU.
Lecturer: Valeri Ledyaev
Host Institution: Ivanovo State Power University
Course Title: Power and Politics
Year of CDC Grant: 2001 / 2002
This is a course specially prepared for students specialising in Public Relations. It is designed to deepen their knowledge of political science, political sociology and other disciplines where the study of different forms of power takes place. Many of the graduates will be directly involved in different kinds of political activity; some of them will work in governmental structures and other political institutions. So knowledge of power and politics is very important for them.
This course has been included in the curriculum last year and will be taught in the subsequent academic years for students specialising in Public Relations and (possibly) Sociology. The course will be taught in English.
Academic Aims
The course focuses on basic problems in defining power as a social concept and explanations of the distribution of political power in modern societies. Major goals of the course are:
(1) to examine different views on power, its forms, bases and role in human relationships, explain their historical and philosophical origins and evolution;
(2) to compare existing models of political power and explanations of the structure of power in modern society;
(3) to summarise and assess western experience in the empirical study of power in communities, its methodology, research techniques, empirical findings and theoretical outcomes;
(4) to examine the possibilities of practical application of different models of power for the study of power and politics in Russia.
Students should:
· acquire skills of political analysis
· understand and be able to use basic “power terms”
· develop the capacity to analyse power relations in different spheres of human life
· be able to evaluate methods and research techniques used in empirical studies of power
· develop the capacity to discuss theoretical problems in English.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course the students will have learned about
· basic “power terms” (power, authority, influence, domination, force, manipulation, etc.)
· major theories of power and problems in a conceptual analysis of power
· empirical studies of power and their main outcomes
· similarities and differences in the distribution of political power in societies and communities
· different theoretical and methodological perspectives (Marxist, elitist, neoelitist, corporatist, pluralist) in the context of the distribution of power at the macro (national) level
· relevance of western democratic experience to the contemporary situation in Russia.
Course Detail
Lectures (20 hours)
1. Basic views on power (2 hours).
I shall review and discuss basic views on power, their philosophical roots and practical implications. Two competing theoretical concepts will be distinguished and analysed. The first tradition, which can be traced back to Hobbes and Weber, is represented by H.Lasswell, R.Dahl, P.Blau, S.Lukes, W.Connolly, T.Benton and other western scholars who define power in terms of conflict, asymmetry and control over people. Special attention is paid to the debates over the “faces” of power, started by P.Bachrach and M.Baratz and continued by S.Lukes in which many American scholars have been involved. The concepts of T.Parsons and H.Arendt will be critically examined within the alternative approach which rejects “negative” interpretations of power and sees power as a legitimate collective resource to achieve common goals. Attempts to bridge between the two concepts (D.Wrong, D.Baldwin, T.Ball et al.) will also be discussed.
2. Major problems in defining power (2 hours).
A conceptual analysis of power revolves around several major problems: the actual/potential problem, the intentionality of power, the agency/structure problem, the outcome of power etc.). Is power actual, potential, or both? Is it the production of something or a capacity to produce something? Is it an attribute, a relation, or an action? Is it a property of actors or of relations? Is power the ability to do something or control somebody? Is power necessarily conflictual, intentional, effective, unilateral or not? Who can be an actor? Individuals, groups, organisations or any of them? Do social institutions and organisations, as opposed to individuals or groups, possess and exercise power? Answers to these questions are necessary for understanding power.
3. Basic forms of power (2 hours).
This lecture will focus on similarities and differences between particular forms of power. Three different types of classifications of power forms (individual and collective power; force, coercion, inducement, persuasion, manipulation, authority; economic power, political power, power in organisations) will be introduced and discussed.
4. Political power (2 hours).
I shall review basic conceptions of political power (Hobbes, Locke, Weber, Parsons, Lasswell, Easton, etc.), compare political power with other forms of power and explain its main forms and faces.
5. Community power studies (4 hours).
This lecture is designed to introduce the main outcomes of community power studies in the USA (F.Hunter, R.Dahl, R.Presthus, M.Crenson, J.Gaventa, etc.).The emphasis is on the research methods utilised by the authors and the interpretations made of the evidence they find. Special attention will be paid to modern trends in community power studies (structuralist neomarxist and neoweberian approaches, “regime theory”, rational choice perspectives in the study of community power). I shall also introduce the outcomes of the first empirical power studies in different Russian regions and discuss the possibilities and difficulties in application of western experience for the study of community power in Russia.
6. Political power in modern democracies (4 hours).
In this lecture the debates between different theoretical perspectives (“elitism”, “neoelitism”, “pluralism”, “neopluralism”, Marxism, “corporatism”) will be discussed in the context of the distribution of power at the macro (national) level. I shall start with the analyses of C.W. Mills and W.Domhoff which form the fundamental point of reference in all studies of power at the national level in the United States. Then several other important works on power in America will be examined (T.Moore, H.Kerbo, T.Dye, R.Alford, C.Stone et al.). Analysis focuses on several principal issues: Is there a single power elite or are there multiply elites? Is their power concentrated or dispersed? What are the indicators of power at the societal level? To what extent are the masses able to influence elites and hold them accountable? Is entrance into elite groups open to those at lower levels of the social hierarchy, or is the power structure relatively closed? These questions still go to the heart of social science inquiry.
7. Political power in Russia (4 hours).
The last lecture focuses on the evolution of power structure in Russia. I shall explain the nature of power in pre-Revolutionary Russia, communist Russia and concentrate on power relations of post-communist society. Different explanations of power structure suggested by Russian scholars (“nomenclature democracy”, “clientelism”, “political capitalism” etc.) will be examined and the possibilities to employ western methodologies for the analysis of power in Russia at the macro level will be discussed.
Seminars (14 hours)
1. Power as a social concept (2 hours).
The seminar concentrates on the major problems in defining power and basic explanatory concepts (powerholder, power subject, resources of power, scope and domain of power, etc.).
2. Forms of power (2 hours).
Basic forms of power, their characteristics and problems of application will be discussed with the emphasis on political power. Different “faces” of political power will be examined in the context of power relations in modern Russia.
3. Community power studies (2 hours).
The outcomes of community power studies in America and Russia will be examined and compared. The discussion will focus on conceptual models and research techniques used by researchers.
4. Marxist interpretations of political power (2 hours).
Basic ideas of Marx and XX century Marxists (Lenin, Gramshi, Poulantzas, Miliband, Jessop) will be examined and used for the explanation of power relations in modern Russia.
5. Elitist interpretations of political power (2 hours).
Classical elitism (Moska, Pareto, Michels), democratic elitism (Weber, Schumpeter) and modern elitist perspectives (Mills, Domhoff, Lasswell, Putnam, etc.) will be discussed and compared with other models of explanation of power structure in modern society. We will then identify the structure of power elite in Russia and discuss its basic characteristics.
6. Pluralist interpretations of political power (2 hours).
Classical pluralism (Bentley, Truman), reformed pluralism (Richardson and Jordan), neo-pluralism (Lindblom, Dahl) are discussed and compared with each other. The seminar will conclude with the discussion of different problems with the pluralist interpretations of political power.
7. Political power in Russia (2 hours).
The last seminar will focus on advantages and disadvantages of different interpretations of power and possibilities in application of western experience for the study of power structure in Russia.
Assessment
The final mark consists of 3 elements: (1) two current tests (10 %), (2) two intermediate tests (30 %) and (3) oral exam at the end of the term (60 %).
Reading list
Lecture 1.
Дегтярев А.А. Oсновы политической теории. - М.: Высшая школа, 1998. - С.40-45.
Ледяев В.Г. Современные концепции власти: аналитический обзор //Социологический журнал. - 1996. - №3-4. - С.109-126 (перепечатaно в: Политическая наука в России. - М.: МОНФ. - С.504-526).*
Ледяев В.Г. О "сущностной оспариваемости" понятия власти // Вестник Тамбовского университета. Сер. Гуманитарные науки. - 1996. - Вып.3-4. - С.13-19.
Ледяев В.Г. Власть: концептуальный анализ. - М.: РОССПЭН, 2000. Введение; Гл.1.
Ball T. Power // A Companion to contemporary political philosophy. Ed by R.Goodin and P.Pettit. - Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1995. - pp.548-557.*
Ledyaev V.G. Power: A Conceptual Analysis. - New York: Nova Science Publishers, 1998. Ch. 1.*
* - strongly recommended.
Lecture 2.
Ледяев В.Г. Власть: концептуальный анализ // Политические исследования. - 2000. - №1. - С.97-107.*
Ледяев В.Г. Власть: концептуальный анализ. - М.: РОССПЭН, 2000. Введение; Ч.2.
Dahl R. Modern Political Analysis. 5th ed. - Englewood Cliffs (New Jersey): Prentice Hall, 1991, pp 20-26.
Ledyaev V.G. Power: A Conceptual Analysis. - New York: Nova Science Publishers, 1998. Ch. 11.*
Wrong D.H. Power: Its Forms, Bases, and Uses. With a New Preface. - Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1988, pp 1-20.*
Lecture 3.
Ледяев В.Г. Формы власти: типологический анализ // Политические исследования. - 2000. - №2. С.6-18.*
Ледяев В.Г., Ледяева О.М. Методы власти: типология и принципы использования // Демократия и личность: Межвузовский сборник научных трудов /Ред. кол. В.А.Стукалов (отв. ред.) и др. - Иваново: Изд.-во Ивановского ун-та, 1992. - С.31-45.
Ледяева О.М., Ледяев В.Г. Понятие коллективной власти // Ученые записки экономико-архитектурного факультета. Вып.8. - Иваново: ИГАСА, 1998. - С.77-81.*
Dahl R. Modern Political Analysis. 5th ed. - Englewood Cliffs (New Jersey): Prentice Hall, 1991, pp 39-48.
Ledyaev V.G. Power: A Conceptual Analysis. - New York: Nova Science Publishers, 1998. Ch. 12, 13.*
Wrong D.H. Power: Its Forms, Bases, and Uses. With a New Preface. - Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1988. Ch. 2, 3, 4.
Lecture 4.
Вебер М. Политика как призвание и профессия // Антология мировой политической мысли. Т.2. - М.: Мысль, 1997. - С.11-14.
Дегтярев А.А. Политическая власть как регулятивный механизм социального общения // Полис. - 1996. - №3. - С.108-120.
Ледяев В.Г. Понятие политической власти // Современное состояние, проблемы и перспективы развития российской экономики: Материалы научно-практической конференции. Вторые кондратьевские чтения /В.В. Борисов (Отв. ред.) и др. - Иваново: ИГЭУ, 1999. - С.211-218.*
Парсонс Т. О понятии "политическая власть" // Антология мировой политической мысли. Т. 2. - М.: Мысль, 1997, с. 478-487.
Birch A. The concepts and theories of modern democracy. L., 1999, pp 28-32,137-159.*
Dahl R. Modern Political Analysis. 5th ed. - Englewood Cliffs (New Jersey): Prentice Hall, 1991, pp 39-48.
Ledyaev V.G. Power: A Conceptual Analysis. - New York: Nova Science Publishers, 1998. Ch.14.*
Lecture 5.
Гельман А. Трансформация в России: политический режим и демократическая оппозиция. - М.: МОНФ, 1999. - С. 200-214.
Лапина Н., Чирикова А. Региональные элиты в РФ: модели поведения и политические ориентации. - М.: ИНИОН, 1999. - С.16-38.*
Ледяев В.Г. Структура власти в современном американском городе // Проблемы отечественной и зарубежной истории: Тез. докл. регион. науч. конф., посвященной 80-летию истор. ф-та ИвГУ. - Иваново: ИвГУ, 1998. С.51-53.*
Ледяев В.Г. Американская социология власти // Социокультурная динамика России (II социологические чтения): Материалы регион. науч. конф. - Иваново: ИГХТУ, 1998. С.30-31.
Мохов В. Институциональные и социальные факторы регионализации элит в России // Трансформация российских региональных элит в сравнительной перспективе (материалы международного семинара). - М.: МОНФ, 1999. - С. 140-151.
Перегудов С.П., Лапина Н.Ю., Семененко И.С. Группы интересов и российское государство. - М.: Эдиториал УРСС, 1999, с. 195-204.
Harding A. Is there a ‘new community power’ and why should we need one? //International journal of urban and regional research. - 1996, vol. 20. - N 4, pp 637-652.
Orum A. Introduction to political sociology. The social anatomy of the body politics. - Englewood Cliffs (NJ): Prentice Hall, 1978. - pp.160-193.*
Lecture 6.
Ашин Г.К., Охотский Е.В. Курс элитологии. - М.: ЗАО "Спортакадемпресс", 1999. - С.116-176.*
Гаман-Голутвина О.В. Политические элиты: эволюция теоретических концепций. М., 1998.
Гаман-Голутвина О.В. определение основных понятий элитологии // Политические исследования. - 2000. - №3. - С.97-103.
Даль Р. Полиархия, плюрализм и пространство // Вопросы философии. - 1994. - №3. - С.37-48.*
Лейпхарт А. Демократия в многосоставных обществах: сравнительное исследование. М.: Аспект Пресс, 1997.
Миллс Р. Властвующая элита. М., 1959.
Моска Г. Правящий класс // Социологические исследования. 1994. №10.
Парето В. Компендиум по общей социологии // Антология мировой политической мысли. Т.2. - М., 1997. - С.59-67.
Сартори Дж. Вертикальная демократия // Политические исследования. 1993. №2. С.80-89.
Шумпетер Й. Капитализм, социализм и демократия. - М., 1995. С.238-247.
Dahl R. Modern Political Analysis. – Englewood Cliffs (NJ): Prentice Hall, 1991. pp. 71-80.*
Dunleavy P., O'Leary B. Theories of the State. - L.: Macmillan, 1987.
Marsh D., Stoker G. Theory and methods in political science. pp. 208-287.*