The economists once invented the Economic Man whose aim in life was to maximize profit or a suitable generalization of it. Game theory suggests the possibility of a theory of coalitions. Presumably, such a theory relates to the Political Man. Does the Political Man seek to maximize “power”? To determine this one must develop an index of power and then discover whether in actual cases real men attempt to maximize what it measures.
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William H. Riker (2007) studied this question.
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