One simplified heuristic to talk about power, is to distinguish between power to, power over, power with, and power within.

Power to

Power to is about getting things done, about the capacity to mobilise re- sources to achieve specific goals and intentionally effecting outcomes.

Power over

Power over is about forcing or impeding others to do what they would oth- erwise do or not do. This includes domination, dependency and oppression, but also regulating, controlling and steering.

 

Power with

Power with is about ‘acting in concert’, the collective capacity to collaborate to achieve common goals. An important difference between power to and power with is that power with includes coaction & empowerment as a goal in itself.

There is also a fourth dimension: power within. This refers to the power structures that people have internalised, for instance when certain groups feel that they do not have enough expertise to be involved in decision-mak- ing and might not even show up to a meeting to talk about renewable energy.

We tend to have positive associations when it comes to power to and power with, while having negative associations when it is about power over. How- ever, power over is also about impeding people from inflicting harm, and about imposing certain rules and standards that are deemed necessary for the survival of humanity and this planet. We need to start having a much more critical and honest conversation about the different dimensions of power that are needed in and for just sustainability transitions.

Power dimensions