Power, Authority, and Legitimacy: Key Concepts in Governance
Power, Authority, and Legitimacy
Authority: The power of one person over another is subordinate to Power: The ability of someone to influence other people, things, or institutions. Status: This refers to the group of people and institutions that hold authority and political power within a territory. Legality: Actions that meet specific standards and procedures. Legitimacy: Any law that enforces coercion, but this constraint should be justified. Authoritarianism: The abuse of power by a person or group that has authority, whether legally or illegally. The legitimate authority: It is based on two main conditions: knowledge and public recognition based on certain rules. This relates to the political field and the relationship between citizens and the state. Citizenship is the set of citizens who fully participate in a state at a democratic political level. This raises an authority different from what we have in the moral realm. Moral scope: The relationship between oneself and the people one interacts with. Moral authority of conscience.
The Seven Moral Principles for Public Officials
- Disinterest: Actions must seek the common good.
- Integrity: Actions must not be influenced by personal interests.
- Objectivity: Actions should not be motivated by personal matters.
- Accountability: Responsibility for all actions and their consequences.
- Transparency: Public officials must justify all actions, which should be visible to the public.
- Honesty: Public officials should adhere to high moral principles and act responsibly in any conflict that goes against the public interest.
- Leadership: Those holding public office must be guides for the rest of society.
The Steering System
Majority Rule: In a democratic system, the political party that receives the most votes through established rules gains power. In a democracy, the majority should not exercise its power solely to serve its own interests but must also consider the interests of minorities. Sometimes, the majority rule is “broken,” and several political parties join forces for political power. These pacts are called “coalitions of government” (e.g., PSOE and PP).
Rights and Freedoms for All
A democratic state must promote and defend a set of basic principles and freedoms for all its citizens, ensuring that all citizens can achieve the necessary conditions. All these rights and freedoms are enshrined in the constitution, which is the most important law of a country and where the laws of that country are established and governed. The Constitution must be ratified by the people through a special referendum.
Democracy
Democracy is a political system that governs the people. It means that power is in the hands of all people. From an ethical point of view, the agreement or consent of all is fundamental. Democracy implies a principle of action, i.e., following an idea rather than a particular political system. Democracy means that people should participate in decisions that affect them.