The Evolution of Political Power in Political Development

Abstract

To understand political science, we must understand political power. Our misunderstanding of political power is especially problematic for those concerned with comparative politics. Political Elasticity (PE) theory, including the concepts of 'quality of power' and 'political software', is used to examine and clarify such dichotomies as: (i) transitive and intransitive power; (ii) hard and soft forms of power; and (iii) power as a resource and power as a relationship. What PE theory attempts to prove (by presenting many examples and using comparative case studies) is that political power tends to be more elastic (with rubber band and balloon characteristics) in more developed countries than in less developed countries. As the conclusion, the relationship of democracy to the evolution of political power is examined, including questions having to do with corruption, authoritarian rule and bureaucratization. The PE theory is also defended against criticisms that it is 'untestable' and 'tautological'.

Understanding Sowan as a New Paternalistic Bureaucracy Pattern of Local Officials in Indonesia

“…Bureaucratic officials who feel threatened because of their harmonious relations with incumbent political officials are "forced" to find rescue in the form of supporting non-incumbent local head candidates. Werlin (2001Werlin ( , 2008Werlin ( , 2012 stated that to prevent conflicts between political and bureaucratic officials, political officials must act elastically (not rigidly) when dealing with bureaucratic officials (political elasticity).…”