ABSTRACT
The interest of some anthropologists in comparative political micro research and their phrasing of power as influence over decisions and policy formation is amenable to the consideration of local Greenburgh politics (Swartz et al. 1966, R. Cohen 1970). Cohen raises such questions as: Are rivalry and competition among individuals universal? Is desire for power a basic motive of political action? In fact, is need for power on the part of some people, at least, necessary for political action at all? By what means, skills or attributes do they influence others and mobilize support for themselves and their causes?
