Thinker Definition / Core Idea Key Term
Max Weber Power is the probability that an individual can carry out his will even against resistance. Domination / Will
Robert Dahl A has power over B to the extent that A can get B to do something B would not otherwise do. A → B
Harold D. Lasswell Politics concerns “who gets what, when, how”, making power central to political distribution. Distribution
Hannah Arendt Power arises from the human capacity to act in concert. Collective action
Bertrand Russell Power is the production of intended effects. Intended effects
Steven Lukes Power has three dimensions: decision-making, agenda-setting and shaping preferences. Three dimensions
Peter Bachrach & Morton Baratz Power operates through both decision-making and non-decision-making. Two faces
Antonio Gramsci Power operates through hegemony, combining coercion and consent. Hegemony
Michel Foucault Power is relational and productive, operating through social institutions, knowledge and discourse. Discourse
Talcott Parsons Power is a generalised capacity to secure the performance of binding obligations. Capacity
C. Wright Mills Power is concentrated in a power elite occupying key institutional positions. Power elite
Steven Lukes The deepest form of power can shape people's perceptions, preferences and wants. Preference-shaping
Joseph Nye Power is the ability to affect the behaviour of others to get the outcomes one wants. Influence
Hans J. Morgenthau In international politics, power is a central element of national interest and state behaviour. National interest
Kenneth Waltz In structural realism, power is understood through the distribution of capabilities among states. Capabilities
Robert Keohane & Joseph Nye Power operates within conditions of interdependence, where actors can influence one another through multiple channels. Interdependence
The Most Important Definitions to Memorise
1. Max Weber:
> Power is the probability that an actor can carry out his own will despite resistance.
2. Robert Dahl:
> A has power over B when A can get B to do something B would not otherwise do.
3. Bertrand Russell:
> Power is the production of intended effects.
4. Hannah Arendt:
> Power corresponds to the human ability not just to act but to act in concert.
5. Steven Lukes:
> Power has three dimensions—decision-making, controlling the agenda, and shaping preferences.
6. Foucault:
> Power is not simply possessed; it operates through relations, institutions, knowledge and discourse.
UGC NET Quick Revision Formula
Weber → Will despite resistance
Dahl → A makes B do what B would not otherwise do
Russell → Production of intended effects
Arendt → Acting in concert
Bachrach & Baratz → Two faces of power
Lukes → Three dimensions of power
Gramsci → Hegemony
Foucault → Power/Knowledge
Mills → Power Elite
Parsons → Capacity to secure binding obligations
Nye → Affecting outcomes/behaviour
Morgenthau → Power + National Interest
Waltz → Distribution of Capabilities
One-line exam question
Q. Who defined power as the “probability that one actor can carry out his own will despite resistance”?
Answer: Max Weber.
Q. Who is associated with the “three dimensions of power”?
Answer: Steven Lukes.
Q. Who defined power as the ability to “act in concert”?
Answer: Hannah Arendt.
Q. Who is associated with “power elite”?
Answer: C. Wright Mills.
Q. Who associated power with “production of intended effects”?
Answer: Bertrand Russell.
Q. Who developed the concept of “power/knowledge”?
Answer: Michel Foucault.
Standard sources: Max Weber, Economy and Society; Robert Dahl, The Concept of Power; Bertrand Russell, Power; Hannah Arendt, On Violence; Bachrach & Baratz, “Two Faces of Power”; Steven Lukes, Power: A Radical View; Andrew Heywood, Politics; Joseph Nye, Soft Power.
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