How Power Corrupts: Cognition and Democracy in Organisations

Most agree with Lord Acton that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It seems to apply to history's cruel dictators, perhaps also to the behaviour of current political and economic elites and even across the hierarchic organisations of our everyday lives. Yet there has been little study of how power corrupts, and in particular, how it does so beneath the awareness of those afflicted. This book brings together cognitive psychology and democratic theory to examine the subtle ways in which power corrupts and distorts our thinking. Drawing on the history of political ideas and current research on the nature of power, it shows that corruption affects both elites and subordinates, and that its symptoms are best treated by radical democracy. The book presents a rigorous and critical analysis of the hierarchic organisational form. It is thus a provocative exploration of the usually hidden, and little understood, psychological politics of organisations.

Ricardo Blaug is a Senior Lecturer in Political Theory at the University of Leeds, UK. Formerly a psychiatric social worker and public sector manager, he has lived in the USA and the Netherlands. An award winning author, he also delivers research and consultancy to a range of public organisations and policy-makers.