Authority

Authority is a socially recognized right to make decisions, issue directives, or enforce rules. It differs from mere power because its exercise is treated as legitimate within a social setting.

Legitimacy: Legitimacy is the recognized justification for a rule, institution, or exercise of power. Recognition of legitimacy helps turn directives into accepted exercises of authority.
Power: Power is the capacity to influence events, decisions, or other people's behavior. Power can compel action without the socially recognized right that distinguishes authority.
Legal-rational authority: Legal-rational authority is authority grounded in impersonal rules and offices established by law or procedure. It is a distinct form of authority tied to formal rules rather than personal status.
Political authority: Political authority is the recognized right of a government or political body to make and enforce collective decisions. It applies authority to decisions binding a political community.
Civil disobedience: Civil disobedience is a deliberate, public breach of law undertaken to challenge a perceived injustice. It tests whether legal commands deserve obedience when their authority is contested.
Obedience: Obedience is compliance with a command or rule issued by another person or institution. Compliance is one way authority becomes effective in practice.
Coercion: Coercion is the use or threat of force, penalties, or other pressure to make someone act. Coercion can secure compliance even when a directive lacks recognized authority.
Traditional authority: Traditional authority is authority accepted because it is rooted in inherited customs and long-standing practices. It shows how continuity and custom can support recognized rights to rule.
Parental authority: Parental authority is the recognized responsibility and decision-making right caregivers hold over a child's care and upbringing. It shows authority exercised within a family and bounded by duties toward a child.
Political obligation: Political obligation is the moral duty, if any, to obey the laws and directives of a political authority. It asks whether recognized political authority creates a duty to comply.

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