Truth in Power: The Role of Politics, Purpose & Protection
Power holds a mirror to society. The way it is wielded, distributed, and defended shapes not just policies but lives, communities, and the arc of possibility. At Faire Onda, we believe that good ideas create ripples — and nowhere is that more obvious than in the story of governance and politics, where power at its best protects and empowers, and at its worst concentrates and excludes.
The Currency of Power
In a functioning democracy, power is the currency of trust, action, and accountability. When that currency is spent, how it is spent matters deeply. Does it reinforce the structures that keep some people at a disadvantage? Or does it shape systems that lift many?
Across history and geography we see two broad patterns. On one side, power is used to entrench advantage — reinforcing hierarchies, shielding elites, and narrowing opportunity. On the other, power is used to open access — extending rights, redistributing resources, and redefining what the public good looks like.
A Case in Point: United States Healthcare Reform
One of the most illustrative examples in recent U.S. history is the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) under Barack Obama in 2010.
Rather than leverage a pivotal moment purely to stack courts or solidify coalitions, the administration directed its political capital toward ensuring millions of Americans gained access to healthcare—a system of protection rather than advantage.
That decision exemplifies a different orientation: using power to serve the many, not just the few. And while the political winds shifted afterward and control of Congress changed hands, the ripple from that choice continues.
Power as Protection vs Power as Privilege
When we examine how power is applied, patterns emerge:
Power as privilege: To guard advantage, build barriers, elevate some at the expense of others.
Power as protection: To guard the vulnerable, reduce inequities, expand opportunity.
Consider other histories: in many oligarchic systems, power is preserved by curbing dissent, limiting access, and preserving status. Think: enacting poll taxes to make it harder for folks to vote shortly after voting rights were expanded. In contrast, democratic movements across the globe — from universal suffrage, to welfare states, to decolonization — aimed to shift power toward protection of rights, redistribution, and inclusion.
These two orientations are not party-specific; they are systemic. They show up when institutions are structured for accountability, when rights are enforced, when transparency holds sway — and conversely when they are not.
Women-Majority Parliament
Following the 1994 genocide, Rwanda rebuilt its political institutions with a transformative emphasis on gender equality. Today, women hold approximately 63.8% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies — the highest proportion in the world for a national parliament.
This shift is more than symbolic. When governance includes those historically excluded, priorities often change: land-ownership laws were reformed, gender-based violence legislation strengthened, and economic inclusion for women advanced.
In power-architecture terms, Rwanda restructured who holds power, thus altering what power protects. When over half the legislature is female, the orientation of power can move from preserving old hierarchies to advancing new equity.
Redistributive Welfare State
Uruguay offers a compelling example of power redistributed through social policy. Over the years, social spending rose from roughly 18.5% of GDP in 2005 to around 25.8% by 2019.
During this period, the country narrowed its income distribution: the richest 20% of Uruguayans saw their share of national income fall from ~41.8% to ~34.8%, while the poorest 20% rose from ~8.8% to ~10.0%.
In architectural terms, Uruguay’s power structure shifted: tax and welfare mechanisms were designed to redirect resources toward broader citizenry, not just the elite. That redistribution reshaped the balance of power from accumulation to inclusion.
The Social Market Economy
Germany’s “soziale Marktwirtschaft” or social market economy provides another structural power shift. Post-World War II, Germany paired a competitive market economy with strong welfare institutions, trade union representation, and regulatory protections.
While recent forecasts raise questions about sustainability, the model itself remains a distinct architecture of power: one where economic power is constrained and redistributed via social protections, collective bargaining, and regulation.
In this case, who sets the rules of the market and how benefits are shared became as important as who owns the factories or banks. Power became institutional and systemic rather than personal and extractive.
Why It Matters for Mission-Driven Brands & Purpose-Led People
At Faire Onda, we work with nonprofits, social enterprises, sustainable brands and women- and minority-led businesses. For us, the question “What is the role of power?” is not academic — it is deeply practical.
When a brand works with a supplier in a developing country, who holds the power? Is it the artisan or the brand?
When a nonprofit engages with government or corporate partners, who sets the agenda? Do communities or shareholders decide?
When a social enterprise speaks of “scaling,” who benefits from that growth—founders or frontline workers?
Because the ripple of power—from boardroom to community—is the same ripple. The orientation matters.
Holding Power Accountable: Three Guiding Questions
Whenever we step into the current of power, there are three anchor questions to ask:
1. Whose interest is being served?
Power spent well serves the many, not just the few. If policy, procurement or practice primarily enlarges existing privilege, it is power as privilege.
2. How transparent is the process?
Hidden deals and opaque structures concentrate power. Open processes dilute it and distribute it.
3. What is the enduring outcome?
Short-term wins for a few or long-term systems of change for many? Power as protection builds structure and capacity; power as privilege often builds dependency.
Global Perspectives
Consider the Scandinavian social democracies: high taxes, strong welfare states, consensus politics. Power is structured to protect citizens, distribute resources, and regulate markets. Contrast that with colonial or authoritarian systems where power is maintained through control, coercion, and exclusion.
In both cases, the architecture of power matters more than the individuals holding office.
Power, Purpose & Storytelling
As a creative agency built on articulation and intention, Faire Onda understands that narrative matters. When brands, organizations or leaders frame power as service rather than control—when storytelling aligns with accountability and mission—then power becomes movement.
For organizations, this means:
Designing governance that includes voices rarely heard.
Engaging marketing that elevates community, not just message.
Structuring partnerships that shift power to local communities and long-term impact.
A Ripple of Possibility
Power need not be a zero-sum game. When those in charge commit to shifting their own advantage, they open the swirl of possibility. When policies aim for redistribution rather than retention, they widen the current of equity. When organizations lead not by dominance but by connection, they create waves that travel farther.
In the wake of any election, organizational transition or strategic pivot, we ask ourselves: Are we deploying power to protect or preserve? Are we leaning into privilege or responsibility?
For every changemaker, entrepreneur and mission-driven entity reading this: your role in the current of power is vital. Not because you hold dominance, but because you hold direction. Use your voice, your agency, your leverage — to protect, include and expand.
Because every good idea creates a wave. And properly harnessed, the power we wield today becomes the impact we leave tomorrow.