ABSTRACT
The requirement for consumer representation in health planning advisory councils is a manifestation of a concern that the many interests of the community be incorporated into the planning process. Ready acceptance by public health practitioners of the findings of the early studies of community power by Floyd Hunter, C. Wright Mills, and the Robert Lynd has led to a popularization of the term "community power structure." The first category reflects one classical approach to the nature of the decision-making process in a democracy—the individual citizen's views and preferences will be taken into account by virtue of his power to punish at the polls. Edward C. Banfield, and James Q. Wilson, in their analysis of city politics, argue that there are two fundamentally opposed conceptions of politics. While the planner must keep in mind the ultimate authority of the voter, he should be well aware that voting is not in itself an adequate measure of political power.
