Explain why the transfer of authority is crucial for the social stability of the state. Provide examples of how power is transferred in states based on the three types of authority

Question

What will be an ideal response

Answer 1

Without an orderly transfer of authority, chaos or even revolution can occur, destroying the current government. In states governed by traditional authority, the reign of power is often handed down from one generation to the next, as from king or queen to the awaiting prince. In rational-legal authority the state's constitution determines who will replace the current power and how. In the United States, every four years a president is elected based on the procedures outlined in the Constitution. In states governed by charismatic authority, the transfer of authority is less stable and uncertain. Charismatic leaders rule as long as they wish and as long as they have followers. When they die or depart the organization there may be a power struggle to determine who follows them. There may also be a routinization of charisma where the charismatic leadership is converted to either rational-legal or a form of traditional authority.