From Power to Authority:

Lowi correctly explained the change from dominion to control as a change from power to authority. Max Weber explained "power" as the ability of one group to affect the behavior of another group.⁽⁴⁰⁾ "Authority" is socially approved power,⁽⁴¹⁾ or the ability to affect behavior on a regular basis.⁽⁴²⁾

Referring again to Max Weber, we find three species of authority.⁽⁴³⁾ The first is "charismatic" authority exercised by a chieftain through his personal charm or leadership. The second is "traditional" authority in which power is delegated according to custom. Finally, "legal-rational" authority is based on a formal set of rules and procedures.

Charismatic and traditional authority are subjective by nature. "The welfare of the kingdom depend(s) on the character of the king"⁽⁴⁴⁾

The legal-rational model of government is objective. The human in the office becomes less important than the rules, procedures and regulations which surround it. The ascendancy of the legal-rational model in governments requires an Enlightenment in the population. An objective set of rules must be known, or knowable, by the citizenry. Both the American Constitution and the decline of the absolute monarchies were the result of the Enlightenment and the formulation of an objective and knowable set of rules by which the society was governed.

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