“While there are many definitions of this word, power as “capacity” to do things to “achieve a purpose” is a good starting point. We are especially interested in understanding power as a way of describing a set of relationships between and among people, taking place within an historical context and through social structures.”
“In brief, the three faces of power are:
- Organizing people and resources for direct political involvement in visible decision-making arenas;
- Building durable, long-term political infrastructure: networks of organizations that are aligned around shared goals, who can shape political agendas;
- Making meaning on the terrain of ideology and worldview;”
“The main take-away for progressives is that as a movement, we need to invest much more in the 2nd and 3rd faces of power. Individual organizations each would have to make an assessment of the appropriate roles and strategic allocation of resources among these faces of power. There is no abstract formula that would parse that out for any one group.”