6.1.3 The Extent of Political Control Over Governance
The extent of political control of governance varies in each dimension of power, but it affects all kinds of power to some extent
People give politicians authority, as described in the previous section (6.1.2), to represent them in negotiations and to govern:
● Politicians control many aspects of the economy, including regulation (3.3.1) and macroeconomic management (3.3.8), affecting overall economic performance. Some of their decisions may be taken purely for political effect, but they cannot ignore economic realities and the needs of private businesses. And they are inevitably subject to economic pressures from the rest of the world.
● The government is also an actor in the economy, spending public money (3.2.3) on services and benefits for the population and levying taxes (3.2.4) to fund that spend. It can be a major employer, and it is a customer for goods and services from the private sector.
● Politicians can use their status as figures of authority to exert moral influence (4.3.1), not always for the common good. They are often not trusted though, as described later in this chapter (6.3.3).
● They represent people in negotiations on human rights (4.2.4), helping to define legitimacy in all the dimensions of governance.
● The extent of political control over the law varies widely. Politicians have a role in making laws in most countries (5.2.1), but they are also bound by existing laws under a separation of powers (5.2.8). Politicians provide the resources for law enforcement (5.2.5) and the penal system (5.2.7).
● If governments use military force against other countries without the express agreement of the UN Security Council, they are exercising Ungoverned Power on behalf of the people, as described in the next chapter (7).
People have some influence on the way they are governed in those aspects of power which are under political control, as described in the rest of this chapter.
This page is intended to form part of Edition 4 of the Patterns of Power series of books. An archived copy of it is held at https://www.patternsofpower.org/edition04/613c.htm.