Power - Elite Capture and Hidden Influence

Power - Elite Capture and Hidden Influence focuses on power relations in social change processes at the local level. In local communities most people are aware that large landowners, factory bosses, local politicians, traditional leaders and the media have considerable power.

Often people have only a sketchy idea of the hidden connections that weave these groups together, with political leaders and parties, with the media, with schools, another, with political leaders and parties, with the media, with schools, hospitals and the military in a web of systematic connections that create a local regime: this itself is a sibling of a much larger and more powerful national regime.

This ruling system is virtually invisible, which makes it hard for people to see their own potential to create alternative people-centred democratic forums for decision making.

This app presents tools for analysing power as well as practical approaches for civil society practitioners to manoeuvre and negotiate through the webs of hidden power towards a more inclusive, people-centred development.

The HRBA Governance Resources Series

Is a collection of APPs focusing on key governance issues of central importance to ActionAid’s Human Rights Based Approach developed by the AAI Democratic Governance Team. The APP titled Democracy introduces the series and should be studied first. Thereafter, the titles: Accountability, Power, Budgets and Voice can be studied individually. Read together, the titles complement each other and contribute to an overall appreciation of key governance issues at the local level. The series supports frontline staff and partners in their efforts to achieve ActionAid’s strategic promises of improving service delivery for people living in poverty and achieving a fairer distribution of resources to finance public policies aimed at reducing poverty.