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... > social science subjects > psychology > social psychology > group dynamics > group influence > power (sociology) > decisions and game theory > policy-seeking versus power-seeking
... > social science subjects > psychology > social psychology > group dynamics > group influence > power (sociology) > power and political science > policy-seeking versus power-seeking

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policy-seeking versus power-seeking  

Definition

  • A simple way to frame the motivations of political parties that contest elections is to ask the question: do political parties win elections to implement their policies, or do they build their policies in order to win elections? This is another way of stating the problem of whether ideology is a means or an end. Anthony Downs's answer to this question was to confirm the idea that policy plays a purely instrumental role in the allocation of political power. [Source: Encyclopedia of Power; Parties, Policy-Seeking Versus Power-Seeking]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/policy-seeking_versus_power-seeking

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