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The concept of ‘political technology’ contains seven clusters of variables and each cluster contains many variables or attributes:
1. Traits of Political Leader:
In the cluster, the Personality of the Political Leader plays the key-role.
Its traits can further be divided in two groups:
(a) Knowledge of mass psychology, specialization in anticipating public responses, skill in maintaining public relations, and timely use of political technologies; and,
(b) Political personality: Charisma, spirit of making self-sacrifice, attributes of divinity, high social status, strong will-power, willingness to tolerate/adjust with others, attitude towards opponents and the like.”
2. Values and Goals:
These include temporal as well as other worldly objectives, identification with some god, religion, sub-religion, nation, nationality, race or ethnicity, caste, colour, norms and mores, ideology, hero or superman;
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3. Type of Instruments and Tools:
Solidarity among members of association or relationship, socialisation and training of followers, discipline, number, span of discretion and direction, speed and style, use of non-coercive, coercive or Gandhian technologies;
4. Issues, Demands and Problems:
Their nature, impact, quantum of pressure – immediate and distant, situation, coverage – national, regional or local;
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5. Patterned or Repeatable Use:
Political technology should be a repeatable or patterned affair;
6. Power-sharing:
Those who are part of a political technology should have a feel of some power-sharing; and,
7. Resources at Hand (on either side of input and output-ends):
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These can briefly be stated as:
(a) Material goods: Sociability and size of the collectivity, status, property (land, money, building, business, industry etc.),
(b) Leadership, type and quality of organisation, management skills, including communication and control over media; legitimacy,
(c) Friends and allies: Open, secret, links with bureaucrats, mafia, middlemen and contractors, and
(d) Closeness to potential resources and chance factor.