Contemporary Capitalism and the Distribution of Power in Society

2019 ◽  
pp. 131-149
Author(s):  
John Scott
Keyword(s):  
State Power ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Corporate Power ◽  
Power And Control ◽  
State Authority ◽  
Economic Markets ◽  
Distribution Of Power ◽  
Class And Status ◽  
And Control

This article examines Weber’s partial and fragmentary discussions of power and domination. It reconstructs a basis for Weber’s argument through introducing ideas of persuasive and coercive influence and shows how Weber examined these forms of power in structures of class and status and in views of state authority and patterns of domination in economic markets. It is shown that the Weberian conceptualization can illuminate many ongoing debates in studies of corporate power and control over state power. The application of the ideas is considered through current evidence on the financialization and globalization of economic domination and the transformation and globalization of state power in contemporary capitalism.

International Law and International Relations

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Beck
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
International Law ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Criminal Court ◽  
European Court ◽  
Power And Control ◽  
Private Citizens ◽  
National Jurisdiction ◽  
Distribution Of Power ◽  
And Control

International Law (IL) is the set of rules generally regarded and accepted as binding in relations between states and between nations. It serves as a framework for the practice of stable and organized international relations (IR). International law differs from state-based legal systems in that it is primarily applicable to countries rather than to private citizens. National law may become international law when treaties delegate national jurisdiction to supranational tribunals such as the European Court of Human Rights or the International Criminal Court. The immense body that makes up international law encompasses a piecemeal collection of international customs; agreements; treaties; accords, charters, legal precedents of the International Court of Justice (aka World Court); and more. Without a unique governing, enforcing entity, international law is a largely voluntary endeavor, wherein the power of enforcement only exists when the parties consent to adhere to and abide by an agreement. This is where IR come about; it attempts to explain behavior that occurs across the boundaries of states, the broader relationships of which such behavior is a part, and the institutions (private, state, nongovernmental, and intergovernmental) that oversee those interactions. Explanations can also be found in the relationships between and among the participants, in the intergovernmental arrangements among states, in the activities of multinational corporations, or in the distribution of power and control in the world as a single system.

scholarly journals Developing “place leadership” when hierarchical accountability is omnipresent: the case of English sub-national government

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Ferry ◽  
Mark Sandford
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
News Media ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Government Relations ◽  
Power And Control ◽  
Distribution Of Power ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe relationship between central and sub-national (local) government is contentious around distribution of power and control. There is a specific concern when a (local) place has power devolved, but centralised hierarchical accountability pervades.Design/methodology/approachThis paper addresses that concern by considering recent innovative developments around place-based accountability arrangements in England, through analysis of official reports and news media.FindingsThe article illustrates aspirations towards accountability to the local electorate clash with hierarchical accountability that remains an omnipresent mechanism of central control. It is suggested, accountability forums be developed to blend hierarchy and the place leadership role of directly elected mayors. This could enable local accountability to the electorate, whilst taking account of the context of specific regional level complexities.Originality/valueThis is one of the first papers to consider issues of place leadership and place based accountability within the framework of hierarchical accountability for central and local government relations.

scholarly journals «Basically, I am here to help you»

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-326
Author(s):  
Kristin Engh Førde ◽  
Arnfinn J. Andersen
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Common Good ◽  
State Power ◽  
Power And Control ◽  
Violent Extremism ◽  
Pastoral Power ◽  
And Control

AbstractI denne artikkelen undersøkes bekymringssamtalen, som ofte blir omtalt som et sentralt verktøy i norske myndigheters arbeid med å forebygge radikalisering og voldelig ekstremisme. Slike samtaler blir gjennomført med personer som er antatt å være i risiko for radikalisering. Hensikten er å innhente informasjon, korrigere atferd, identifisere behov for hjelp, samt å tilby hjelp dersom det trengs. Inspirert av Foucault og hans tenkning om pastoralmakt analyserer vi bekymringssamtalen som myndighetsutøvelse, der til dels motstridende agendaer – av statlig kontroll og statlig omsorg – kommer sammen i det som konseptualiseres som «bekymring». Videre argumenterer vi for at bekymringssamtalen eksemplifiserer og synliggjør mer overordnede dilemmaer og konflikter i myndighetenes forebyggingsinnsats på dette feltet, hvor bekymring gir mening og legitimitet til det vi ser som en problematisk sammenstilling av omsorgs- og kontrolltiltak og av sosialpolitiske og sikkerhetspolitiske agendaer.AbstractIn this article we set our sights on what is often referred to as a key instrument for countering violent extremism in Norway, the conversation of concern [Bekymringssamtale in Norwegian], usually referred to in English as the police conversation intervention. The conversation is conducted with individuals assumed to be at risk of radicalisation with the aim of obtaining information, modifying behaviour, identifying any needs for help, and offering help if needed. We argue that this intervention clearly demonstrates certain dilemmas and conflicts inherent in the Norwegian Government’s recent policies on counter-extremism, where the concept of «concern» [bekymring] encompasses control and care, and includes agendas related to security and welfare, respectively. Applying a Foucauldian conceptual framework, we analyse the conversation of concern as a technique of pastoral power in which conflicting agendas interact in problematic ways, and the exercising of state power and control is neutralised through a notion of a general common good; «concern».

Homeschooling as a Barometer of State Power and Control in the Czech Republic

2021 ◽  
pp. 250-266
Author(s):  
Irena Kašparová
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Compulsory Education ◽  
State Power ◽  
Compulsory Schooling ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Power And Control ◽  
And Control

The chapter introduces homeschooling in the Czech Republic, Europe, from the perspective of an anthropologist, who herself had both observed the phenomenon scientifically, as well as practiced it with her four children. The author introduces homeschooling as an important social topic, that may be regarded as a barometer of state power and control over its citizens. The text takes the reader onto a historical journey through various regimes that have governed the country, from the dawn of compulsory schooling under the Habsburg dynasty in the 18th century, through to two World Wars, onto socialism, communism, and finally, democratic government and its various turbulences over the last 30 years. Based upon participant observation, interviews, autoethnography, and secondary sources analysis, the author shows nuances and niches of homeschooling within the state compulsory education system, its battle for recognition, inclusion, and sustainability, which is achieved not only by law itself but also by five pillars of successful homeschooling, noted at the end of the chapter.

Legal Informalism, Power and Liberal Governance

2001 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Van Krieken
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Legal Theory ◽  
State Power ◽  
Informal Justice ◽  
Power And Control ◽  
Popular Justice ◽  
Government Work ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Extension Of State ◽  
And Control

Although critiques of legal formalism have been rethought over recent years to produce a 'new informalism' in legal theory which draws on Michel Foucault's approach to power, this essay examines the ways in which there are still a variety of problems in the understanding of power, social control and freedom utilized by studies of 'informal' or 'popular' justice. It briefly outlines the ideas and practices encompassed by the concept of informal justice, and identifies the critique of legal informalism as an extension of state power and control as well as the counter-critiques that underlie the 'new informalism'. I then go on to argue that the problems continuing to face the understanding of informal justice in legal theory include going beyond seeing power as radiating outwards from some 'thing' called 'the state', as well as beyond the opposition of individual and community liberty to 'state power', towards a more complex and nuanced understanding of the ways in which law and government work through individual and community 'freedom', rather than against them. I conclude with some comments on the kind of research agenda concerning legal informalism encouraged by Foucault's conceptions of power, government and freedom.

Technology: Overview

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dick Schoech
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Power And Control ◽  
Distribution Of Power ◽  
And Control

Information technology (IT), which encompasses tools and prescribed actions, has begun to substantially impact social work, given 50 years of impressive developments. This entry looks at IT trends and their impact on society and social work. The trends covered concern rapid IT development, connectivity, globalization and outsourcing, intelligent applications and devices, centralization and distribution of power and control, and distance education. Issues and challenges for social work are also discussed.

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