Compare and contrast power and authority and other ways in which the state controls the behavior of individuals and groups.

What will be an ideal response?

The ideal answer includes the following concepts and their definitions:
1. Power is exercised when A's action causes B to behave in a manner in which B would not otherwise behave. A's power is considered coercive power when it is based on the use of force or the threat of force.
2. The answer should include differentiation between economic power (A alters B's behavior by manipulating resources that B wants or needs) and soft power (when B is persuaded to accept what A wants because B greatly admires A's virtue and qualities and because B believes that it shares important values with A).
3. Authority is voluntaristic. If A is an authority figure to B, then B accepts the decision or demand of A because it is "the right thing to do," not because of coercive, economic, or soft power. The judgment of B that A's authority is legitimate might be grounded in one or more of the following: law, tradition, charisma, and/or contract.
4. Differentiate between law, tradition, charisma, and contract.