"Power: A Radical View" BY Steven Michael Lukes,1974

Steven Michael Lukes (born 1941) is a political and social theorist. Currently he is a professor of politics and sociology at New York University. He was formerly a professor at the University of Siena, the European University Institute (Florence) and the London School of Economics.

Lukes completed his B.A. in 1962 at Balliol College, Oxford. He worked as a research fellow at Nuffield College and as a lecturer in politics at Worcester College and completed his M.A. in 1967. In 1968, he completed his Ph.D. on the work of Emile Durkheim. From 1966 to 1987 he was fellow and tutor in politics at Balliol College. He is a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) and a visiting professor at the University of Paris, New York University, University of California, San Diego, and Hebrew University.
From 1974 to 1983 he was President of the Committee for the History of Sociology of the International Sociological Association.
He was the co-director of the European Forum on Citizenship at the European University Institute from 1995 to 1996.
In April 2006, Lukes married the political commentator and author Katha Pollitt; this being his third marriage. Lukes was previously a widower.[1] He has three children from his previous marriage to the English barrister Nina Stanger: freelance journalist Daniel (born 1977), musician Michael (born 1979) and Alexandra (born 1981).


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The Three Dimensions of Power

The three views of Power previously mentioned are discussed by Lukes in his book, Power: A Radical View.

The idea is that the effectiveness and level of power for a given group or individual can be measured by considering certain criteria.

The focuses of these views are discussed at length in Lukes' work, and he offers the Third Dimension as his own view of the shortcomings of the other views previously postulated by others, as well as being a more appropriate way to assess power.

The One Dimensional View of Power :
focuses only on behavior in decision making,
specifically on key issues and essentially only in blatantly observable situations.

These often take the form of subjective interests:
-policy preferences demonstrated through political action.

The Two Dimensional View of Power :
qualifies the First Dimension's critique of behavior and focuses on
-decision-making and
-nondecision-making.

It also looks at current and potential issues and expands the focus on observable conflict to those types that might be observed overtly or covertly.

But the Two Dimensional View still focuses on subjective interests,
though those seen as policy preferences or even grievances.

The Three Dimensional View of Power,
offered by Lukes in his work,
is a "thoroughgoing critique" of the behavioral focus.

It concentrates on the
-decision-making in a political agenda and the
-control over that agenda.

As in the Two Dimensional View,
both issues and potential issues are considered.
But Lukes expands the critique to include both
-overt and
-covert observable conflicts, and those that might be latent.

Also, Lukes illustrates that a full critique of power should include both
-subjective interests and those
-"real" interests
that might be held by those excluded by the political process.