Capstone

Abstract/Research Design

Political theorists view power exercised and carried out in several ways. Some attribute power distribution to a small group of high-class, wealthy well-educated businessmen who have high authority. On the other hand, some theorists define power in a pluralistic view in which many players have equal parts, shared power. This research yields a qualitative analysis of existing literature and case studies to explore the concept of political power used in politics, and how it has progressed over time. The analysis section of this paper examines Robert Dahl’s pluralistic view of power by observing its distinction in political machines.

Statement of Question

Political machines, political organizations controlled by a boss or group that gives constituent services in exchange for their votes, at one point, dominated the political environment within the United States. Popular tales of past political machines include kickbacks, thefts, bribery, insider trading, criminal cover-ups, and a barrage of scandals. Do machine style politics still exist today? With the rise of the reform system in the late 1900s, has the old patronage system faded over time?

This analysis focuses on how the change from the old political boss culture has impacted power distribution in cities today; the research presented addresses the power structure in cities with political machines, specifically considering the evidence of Robert Dahl’s pluralistic power theory approach, which provides information on how the changes in the system created a shift in power. Lastly, this analysis will examine whether or not the patronage system has disappeared or how it’s being masked as something else in today’s political environment.

Author’s Interest

Students of public policy administration and political science often listen to lectures on Tammany Hall, Boss Tweed, amongst other machine style politicians. Infrequently, these conversations discuss how the machines work, who had...