So, while analyzing the role of social classes in political change, we also need to be aware how their ability to mobilize is constrained by the repressive apparatus, incentives to cooperate with the regime, or other ways in which authoritarian rulers might prevent them form being politically effective.
Elites and democratization.
Decision-makers and those who hold the strings of power often determine the political rules of the game. Political scientists have grappled with the role of dominant groups, and the extent to which they can control a polity and freely pursue their interests. Critics argue that analyses focusing on these groups sometimes overplay their role. Instead, they point to constraints that prevent individuals or groups from establishing rules or serving personal interests when theydo so at the expense of the broader majority. In democracies, legal systems and institutions regulate power and interests in order to limit the power of the few and potential abuses of power in favors of personal enrichment of other forms of personal interest. In authoritarian systems, the small group that controls the regime often appears to create institutions, set rules and accumulate personal wealth with little restraint. Yet, even in those systems, power in not absolute: it is constrained by the leadership’s need to obtain sufficient support to maintain stability and control. This fact often means that even authoritarian leaders are constrained by other groups in society. In each regime. There is a balance between the power of the few and the extent to which they are constrained by the majority or groups that are not directly linked to the centers of power.