Discuss Blau’s conception of power and how it links to the work of Max Weber.
What will be an ideal response?
Weber’s definition of power is “the probability that one actor within a social relationship will be in a position to carry out his own will despite resistance,” Blau stressed the significance of rewards in inducing others to accede to one’s wishes. For Blau, then, an individual is able to exercise power over others when he alone is able to supply needed rewards to them. If the others are unable to receive the benefits from another source, and if they are unable to offer rewards to the individual, they become dependent on the individual. Their only option is to submit to his demands lest he withdraw the needed benefits. In short, power results from an unequal exchange stemming from an individual’s or group’s monopoly over a desired resource (1964:115,118).
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