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Difficulty: MediumAuthority: Definition, Scope, and Weberian Typology

In a modern bureaucratic administration, a subordinate civil servant complies with an administrative directive issued by a permanent secretary because the office itself is established by constitutional statutes and civil service rules. According to Max Weber, which form of authority does this situation illustrate?

  1. Legal-rational authorityAnswer
  2. B
    Charismatic authority
  3. C
    Traditional authority
  4. D
    Coercive power

Answer

Legal-rational authority
Legal-rational authority is characterized by compliance directed toward an impersonal statutory order and official positions established by written laws, matching the civil service scenario.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the foundation of compliance in the scenario.
Compliance is driven by constitutional statutes, administrative regulations, and official duty.
Max Weber categorized political authority into three ideal types based on the source of legitimacy claimed by governors and accepted by the governed.
2
Match the foundation to Weber's typology.
Authority grounded in impersonal, legally defined offices and written rules corresponds to legal-rational authority.
Under legal-rational authority, obedience is owed to the legally established office and statutory order rather than to the individual person holding office.

Key Concept

Weber's Typology: Legal-Rational Authority
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Topics

Authority: Definition, Scope, and Weberian Typology

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