Power: A Conceptual Analysis

Power is a central concept in the social sciences. This book presents a systematic and comprehensive analysis of this concept. Defining power broadly as the relative ability to affect or receive, the concept is developed in terms of the categories of powerstructures, personal agency, the exercise of power over others, powereffects, situations, fields, strategies, interactions, and scenarios, and collective agency. In developing these categories, the author combines insights from a wide range of social scientific fields including political science, sociology, psychology, economics, management, organization studies and international relations. For each category a relevant practical case is presented, ranging from the image of personal agency that arises from Vladimir Putin's (auto-)biography to the collective agency constituted by the Internet. The book is of interest to those looking for a comprehensive treatise on the concept of power.