authority

(noun)

The power to enforce rules or give orders.

Related Terms

Examples of authority in the following topics:

  • Authority

    • Without authority, Britain's power had to be backed by force.
    • Legitimacy is vital to the notion of authority; legitimacy is the main means by which authority is distinguished from more general notions of power.
    • The first type discussed by Weber is rational-legal authority.
    • The second type of authority is traditional authority, which derives from long-established customs, habits, and social structures.
    • The third form of authority is charismatic authority.

  • Rational-Legal Authority

    • Rational-legal authority is a form of leadership in which authority is largely tied to legal rationality, legal legitimacy, and bureaucracy.
    • Different forms of authority transfer power in different ways.
    • In traditional authority, power is usually passed on through a family line.
    • Unlike charismatic authority and traditional authority, rational-legal authority derives its powers from the system of bureaucracy and legality.
    • The prerequisites for the modern Western state are the monopoly by a central authority of the means of administration and control; the monopoly of legislative authority; and the organization of officialdom, dependent upon the central authority.

  • Traditional Authority

    • Traditional authority refers to a form of leadership in which authority derives from tradition or custom.
    • For example, historically, kings derived their authority from tradition.
    • Traditional authority is a type of leadership in which the authority of a ruling regime is largely tied to tradition or custom.
    • In sociology, the concept of traditional authority comes from Max Weber's tripartite classification of authority.
    • In addition to traditional authority, Weber claimed that the other two styles of authority were charismatic authority and rational-legal authority.

  • Power, Authority, and Violence

    • The first type discussed by Weber is Rational-legal authority.
    • Modern societies depend on legal-rational authority.
    • The second type of authority is Traditional authority, which derives from long-established customs, habits and social structures.
    • The third form of authority is Charismatic authority.
    • Charismatic authority is that authority which is derived from a gift of grace, the power of one's personality, or when the leader claims that his authority is derived from a "higher power" (e.g.

  • Charismatic Authority

    • Charismatic authority is power legitimized by a leader's exceptional personal qualities, which inspire loyalty and obedience from followers.
    • Charismatic leaders gain authority not because they are necessarily kind, but because they are seen as superhuman.
    • Charismatic authority is one of three forms of authority laid out in Max Weber's tripartite classification of authority.
    • Charismatic authority almost always evolves in the context of boundaries set by traditional or rational-legal authority, but by its nature tends to challenge this authority, and is thus often seen as revolutionary.
    • Routinization is the process by which "charismatic authority is succeeded by a bureaucracy controlled by a rationally established authority or by a combination of traditional and bureaucratic authority. "

  • The Transfer of Authority

    • In the United States, transfers of authority generally occur after presidential elections.
    • In the United States, elaborate inauguration ceremonies mark the transfer of authority.

  • Courts

    • A court is a form of tribunal with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties, and carry out the administration of justice.
    • Subject-matter jurisdiction is the authority of a court to hear cases of a particular type or cases relating to a specific subject matter.
    • For instance, bankruptcy court only has the authority to hear bankruptcy cases.
    • Subject-matter jurisdiction is the authority of a court to hear cases of a particular type, or cases relating to a specific subject matter.
    • For instance, bankruptcy court only has the authority to hear bankruptcy cases.

  • Authority and Legitimate Violence

    • Opponents of gun control point out that this increases a state's authority while diminishing the possibility for armed resistance by private individuals.
    • According to Weber, the state is that entity that "upholds the claim to the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force in the enforcement of its order. " The state's authority is derived from this: the state can enforce its precepts through force without losing its legitimate authority.
    • Territory is necessary because it defines the scope of the state's authority: use of force is acceptable, but only in the jurisdiction specified by the state's lands.

  • Weber's Model for Bureaucracy

    • Weber identified in bureaucracies a rational-legal authority in which legitimacy is seen as coming from a legal order.
    • Weber identified in bureaucracies a rational-legal authority in which legitimacy is seen as coming from a legal order.
    • The majority of modern bureaucratic officials and political leaders represent this type of authority.

  • What is Politics?

    • It consists of social relations involving authority or power, the regulation of political units, and the methods and tactics used to formulate and apply social policy.