Such a machine may be known widely, but few usually know its inner circle completely, and few, in like manner, know its outer limits and ramifications. The extent of this is revealed in ways indicated in preceding sections, but if a man is said to have power in a bossed or machine political situation, the chances are excellent that he has connections with the network of community policy-makers. Amount and kind of participation. Participation is another important measure of power. This factor, like action must be qualified.
Some persons are extremely active in community affairs.
They belong to everything that comes along, and yet they man be relatively powerless persons in relation to the major decisions. The kind of participation is often a better measure than the amount. Some men may be relatively inactive, but when the major decisions are to be made, they are asked for their opinions, and others act according to their cues. This nod may be the crucial action in a scheme involving thousands of actions. The weighing of this factor is qualitative and can be made, generally, only after one has weighted many other factors and begins to see the whole power structure in its overall operations.