When examining the ideas of political theorists, it is important to use political concepts that can play an important role in what the theorists suggest and also how they can affect the relationship. between the State and individuals living in a State. The concepts that will be discussed in this essay are: power, authority and also responsibility. Power in politics is a person who has the ability to influence a person in terms of behavior; however, they have no rights – unlike authority. There are many ways in which a person can influence another person's behavior; an example is that of coercion. Coercion refers to the use of violence or threats in order to influence someone. [Jones and Norton, 2011] Authority is similar to the idea of ​​power in politics. A person with authority not only has the ability to influence a person and perhaps change their behavior, but they also have the right to do so. Having authority is often a professional role, for example a police officer, firefighter or judge often has the right to say what to do. This is also called legitimate power. Legitimate authority only comes into play if the person also has the power to influence others. People may not agree with what they are asked to do, but because they have legitimate power, they do it anyway. [Heywood, 2000] Accountability in politics refers to the process of being held responsible for one's own actions. Many people, such as politicians, are held, to varying degrees, responsible for their actions and the consequences that may result from them. [Word Bank Group, 2011] Today, politicians are far more accountable than ever. Mass media played a big role in...... middle of newspaper......11/2011]The Word Bank Group (2012) Political Accountability [1] [Online] worldbank.org Available at http:// web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTPUBLICSECTORANDGOVERNANCE/EXTANTICORRUPTION/0,,contentMDK:20222028~menuPK:1165494~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:384455,00.html [Accessed: 11 /02/2011 ]Todd, J. (2011) 'Alone in Sirte' [Online] Labor Uncut Available at: http://labour-uncut.co.uk/2011/10/24/alone-in-sirte/ [Accessed: 11/11/2011] Williams, G (2005) “Hobbes: Moral and Political Philosophy” [Online] Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Available at http://www.iep.utm.edu/hobmoral/ [Accessed: 04/11/2011] Wheeler, L. (2011) 'Niccolò Machiavelli and "The Prince"'[Online] http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/machiavelli.html [Accessed: 02/11/2011] Skinner, Q (2000) 'Machiavelli: a very short introduction', published by Oxford University Press, Oxford