(This is an archived extract from the book Patterns of Power: Edition 2)
People need food and shelter as basic requirements for survival and, if they are not able to provide sufficiently for themselves through their own creation of wealth, they may be dependent upon others. Those who provide for the needs of others are exerting economic power over them, and this power has its own subsidiarity:
· Family members who are not themselves working may be dependent upon others within the family who are earning. This power can be abused.
· People who are able to claim transfers directly from government-provided funds are subject to rules and conditions.
· Local government in poorer areas may be dependent upon central government to provide funds for services that are regarded as standard entitlements within that country, as described in the previous section (3.4.5).
· Poorer countries may be dependent upon aid from other countries, and this aid sometimes comes with unwelcome strings attached, as described later in this chapter (3.5.8.1).
In all these cases, the legitimacy of the power relationship is directly related to the negotiation process: whether the benefit recipient is treated as an equal or is dependent upon an imposed contract.
© PatternsofPower.org, 2014