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This briefing note looks at recent theories of power within social theory and how they have been or can be applied to assessing power within development. I attempt to give a very basic introduction to key concepts and ideas, with particular attention to themes such as agency, structure, false consciousness and resistance, as well as possibilities for application. This paper is divided into three main sections: the first looks at major theorists of power, beginning with Foucault and extending to Laclau and Mouffe, Hardt and Negri, Giddens, Bourdieu, actor-network theorists, De Certeau and Scott. The second section is a general note about how power is conceived of and employed within development, and includes suggestions about how this can be improved. The final section looks at and evaluates case studies that employ specific frameworks for analysing power. Included with this document is an annotated bibliography with suggestions for further reading.