What do the key political concepts of power, authority, legitimacy and sovereignty mean, and how do they relate?
Key political concepts: power, authority, legitimacy and sovereignty, their meaning and types, and how they relate to rights, equality and the state.
A WJEC A2 Unit 3 study of the key political concepts: the meaning of power, authority, legitimacy and sovereignty, Weber's types of authority, the distinction between legal and political sovereignty, and how these concepts relate to rights, equality and the state.
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What this dot point is asking
This WJEC A2 topic asks you to explain the key political concepts that underpin the study of ideologies and institutions: power, authority, legitimacy and sovereignty, and how they relate to rights, equality and the state. You need precise definitions, the main types of each concept, and the ability to apply them, especially the distinction between legal and political sovereignty in the UK.
The answer
Power and authority
Power can exist without authority (raw coercion), and authority normally carries power. The distinction matters because stable government rests on authority, not force alone.
Weber's types of authority
Legitimacy
Legitimacy is the quality of being rightful or justified: a legitimate regime or decision is accepted as having the right to rule or to be obeyed. Legitimacy turns power into authority and secures consent, which is why governments seek to legitimise themselves through elections, the rule of law and constitutional procedure.
Sovereignty: legal and political
In the UK, the distinction is central: Parliament remains legally sovereign, but devolution, referendums, the Human Rights Act and former EU membership dispersed power, and political sovereignty arguably lies with the people.
Concepts in relation: rights, equality and the state
These concepts connect to wider ideas. Rights (legal and human) limit power and protect individuals; equality (formal, of opportunity, or of outcome) shapes how power and resources are distributed; and the state is the body claiming legitimate authority over a territory. Ideologies differ over how to understand and distribute each: liberals stress rights and limited power, socialists stress equality, conservatives stress order and authority, and nationalists stress the sovereignty of the nation.
Examples in context
Why the UK debate turns on two kinds of sovereignty. The clearest application of these concepts is the question of where sovereignty lies in the UK. In strict legal terms, Parliament is sovereign: it can make or unmake any law and could in theory repeal devolution. Yet in political terms, power has been dispersed and arguably handed to the electorate: major constitutional questions have been settled by referendum, devolution has shifted decisions to the Senedd and other bodies, and governments claim a popular mandate. Distinguishing legal from political sovereignty therefore lets you argue that Parliament remains formally supreme while real power has, in practice, moved, which is exactly what a top-band answer on UK sovereignty does.
Try this
Q1. What is the difference between power and authority? [4 marks]
- Cue. Power is the ability to make others act; authority is the recognised right to exercise power, so it is obeyed willingly.
Q2. Name Weber's three types of authority. [3 marks]
- Cue. Traditional, charismatic and legal-rational authority.
Q3. To what extent does sovereignty still lie with Parliament in the UK? [25 marks]
- What the marker wants. A judgement distinguishing legal from political sovereignty and weighing the formal doctrine against the practical dispersal of power.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC A2 Unit 310 marksExplain the difference between power and authority.Show worked answer →
A short-answer question testing AO1 understanding of core concepts.
Power is the ability to make others do what they would not otherwise do, through force, coercion or influence. Authority is the right to exercise power, recognised as legitimate by those subject to it, so that it is obeyed willingly. Power can exist without authority (raw coercion) and authority normally carries power; Weber identified three types of authority: traditional, charismatic and legal-rational.
The best answers contrast ability with rightful entitlement, give Weber's three types of authority, and link authority to legitimacy rather than just defining the terms.
WJEC A2 Unit 320 marksTo what extent does sovereignty still lie with Parliament in the UK?Show worked answer →
An extended evaluation requiring a balanced judgement.
Case that Parliament retains sovereignty: legal sovereignty still rests at Westminster, which can in theory repeal devolution and any other Act, and EU law no longer constrains it after Brexit.
Case that sovereignty has been qualified: devolution, referendums, the Human Rights Act, and decades of EU membership all dispersed power in practice, and political sovereignty arguably lies with the electorate, especially at referendums.
The top band distinguishes legal from political sovereignty, weighs the formal doctrine against the practical dispersal of power, and reaches a supported judgement.
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