PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

QUARTER 1 WEEK 1

CONCEPTS OF POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

This lesson focuses on the concepts underlying politics and governance. Moreover,
dwells on the ways in which politics can be understood and studied.
At the end of this lesson, the learners are able to:
1. define politics, governance and government;
2. develop a critical way of thinking and interpreting Politics, Governance and
Government; and
3. recognize the value and evaluate the importance of politics in their everyday
dealings.
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The Meaning of Politics
In every aspect of man’s life, there is conflict and disagreement. They disagree about
distribution of powers and resources as well as how to resolve such disagreement.
Questions such as “Why is there war?” What are the necessary and sufficient conditions
of poverty? How do we account for intolerance? How do we avoid ecological
catastrophes? Broad agreement that is advantageous to avoid devastating wars,
enhance prosperity, protect human rights and guard against environmental disasters.
This is where politics comes in (Tabajen et. al., 2016).
Politics is the study of “who gets what, when, and how” as Harold Laswell states. Who
gets power, authority, and leadership? When they are able to get such and how they
able to get it? This is linked to the idea that politics is “the master science” as called by
Aristotle (Roskin,et.al., 2012). He further elaborated that politics is present in all our
daily dealings in the Polis (the Greek city-sate). This leads to the concept that Politics
indeed could also viewed as social activity- there is always interaction between and
among the members of the society to resolve disagreement ad conflicts to attain
common solutions. Also, the politics is said to be a natural outgrowth of human
development having capable of reasoning that named man as a political animal (Dooley
et.al., 2013).
Politics is the exercise of power, the science of government, the making of collective
decision, the allocations of scarce resources and the practice of deception and
manipulation. Moreover, Politics is consisting of people acting politically, by organizing
political interest groups and trying to induce governments to act in ways that will
promote their interest over those opponents. To further understand politics, it must start
by knowing something about how people acquire their political beliefs, values, and
notions how they act politically. Politics could also view as “the process of making
government policies”. Thus, it comes to the study of Political Science. The
development of political science as a discipline could be traced from the time of Aristotle
when he wrote the first systematic work focused on political affairs known as the
Politics that named him the Father of Political Science. The Father of Modern Political
Science, Niccolo Macchiavelli, wrote “The Prince” a handbook for rulers in the art of
government. Thus, in contemporary time Prof. Francis Lieber also wrote the “Manual of
Political Ethics”; the first systematic treatise on political science that gives as well as
thorough understanding of the discipline. In the Philippines, Department of Political
Science was established in the College of Liberal Arts in 1915, University of the
Philippines, Teodoro M. Kalaw is the first Filipino student of politics and defined political
science in his Manual Ciencia Politica in 1918 as, “the nature and organization of the
State, the structure, and functions of the high branches of government, and the theory
of political and civil liberties (Agpalo, 1998)”.
Political Science is defined as the systematic study of political and governmental
institutions and processes (Ranney, 1995). It is a disciplined that seeks to understand
the relationship between individual and political institutions. Political Institutions
defined as collections of relevant rules and routines that determine the appropriate
actions regarding relations between role and situations involving the determination of
what the situation is, what role is being fulfilled, and what obligation of that part in that
situation is (Peters, 2012). Bluntschli, a Swiss scholar, defined political science as “the
science, which concerned with the state, which endeavors to understand and
comprehend the state in its fundamental conditions, in its essential nature, its various
form of manifestation, its development (Moten and Islam, 2011)’. To Paul Janet as
cited by Moten and Islam (2011), a French scholar, political science is “that part of
science which treat the foundations of the state and the principles of the government”.
Thus, the other definitions clearly indicate that political science is not only limited to the
study of the state and government, but it also includes society in macro perspective in
so far as various institutions of the state are interrelated with one another.
Characteristics of Politics (Shievely, 2013)
1. Politics always involves the making of collective decisions for group of people;
2. Those decisions are made by some members of the group exercising power
over other members of the group.
The Values of Politics
1. Politics helps you to know your rights
2. Politics clarifies what you yourself believe.
3. Politics is a living, breathing subject.
4. Politics helps you to understand our nation’s parties.
5. Politics prepares you for adult life.

The Science of Politics

1.It is basic knowledge and understanding of the state and the principles and
ideals which underlie its organization and activities.
 2. It is primarily concerned with the association of human beings into “body
politic” or in political community.
3. It deals with those relations among men and groups which are subject to
control by the state with the relations of men and groups to the state itself and
the relations of state to another state.
Stages in the Study of Political Science
1. Religious Stage – the government, its leaders and laws was considered as
divine or divinely inspired.
2. Metaphysical Stage- the state was considered as a human institution, and it
is therefore, absolute (cannot change).
3. Modern Stage- the state was deemed capable of being improved by rulers
and subjects according to certain principles and laws.
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The Meaning of Governance
The concept of “governance” is as old as human civilization. Governance was defined
as the “process of decision- making and the process by which decisions are
implemented (or not implemented).” Governance can be viewed into the following
context: corporate governance, international governance, national governance and local
governance (UNESCO for Asia and the Pacific). Good governance assures corruption
is minimized, the views of minorities are taken into account and that the voices of the
most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. It is responsive to the present
and future needs of society.
Good governance entails sound public sector management (efficiency, effectiveness,
and economy), accountability, exchange and free flow of information (transparency),
and a legal framework for development (justice, respect for human rights and liberties)
(Wyatt, 2005). Good governance is defined focusing on legitimacy (government should
have the consent of the governed), accountability (ensuring transparency, being
answerable for actions and media freedom), competence (effective policy making,
implementation and service delivery), and respect for law and human rights (Wyatt,
2005).
Characteristics of Good Governance (UNESCO for Asia and the Pacific)
Good governance has 8 major characteristics. It is participatory, consensus oriented,
accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive,
and follows the rule of law. Good governance is responsive to the present and future
needs of the organization, exercises prudence in policy-setting and decision-making,
and that the best interests of all stakeholders are taken into account.
1. Rule of Law
Good governance requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced by an impartial
regulatory body, for the full protection of stakeholders.
2. Transparency
Transparency means that information should be provided in easily understandable
forms and media; that it should be freely available and directly accessible to those who
will be affected by governance policies and practices, as well as the outcomes resulting
therefrom; and that any decisions taken and their enforcement are in compliance with
established rules and regulations.
3. Responsiveness
Good governance requires that organizations and their processes are designed to serve
the best interests of stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe.
4. Consensus Oriented
Good governance requires consultation to understand the different interests of
stakeholders in order to reach a broad consensus of what is in the best interest of the
entire stakeholder group and how this can be achieved in a sustainable and prudent
manner.
5. Equity and Inclusiveness
The organization that provides the opportunity for its stakeholders to maintain, enhance,
or generally improve their well-being provides the most compelling message regarding
its reason for existence and value to society.
6. Effectiveness and Efficiency
Good governance means that the processes implemented by the organization to
produce favorable results meet the needs of its stakeholders, while making the best use
of resources – human, technological, financial, natural and environmental – at its
disposal.
7. Accountability
Accountability is a key tenet of good governance. Who is accountable for what should
be documented in policy statements. In general, an organization is accountable to those
who will be affected by its decisions or actions as well as the applicable rules of law.
8. Participation
Participation by both men and women, either directly or through legitimate
representatives, is a key cornerstone of good governance. Participation needs to be
informed and organized, including freedom of expression and assiduous concern for the
best interests of the organization and society in general.

Towards Improved Governance:

Good governance is an ideal which is difficult to achieve in its totality. Governance
typically involves well-intentioned people who bring their ideas, experiences,
preferences and other human strengths and shortcomings to the policy-making table.
Good governance is achieved through an on-going discourse that attempts to capture
all of the considerations involved in assuring that stakeholder interests are addressed
and reflected in policy initiatives.
Politics as About Governing
Understanding Politics as about governing requires us to differentiate between the
concepts of “governing” and “government”. The notion of governing is broader and has
a wider applicability than government.

Government: is term generally used to described the formal institutions through which
a group of people is ruled or governed. The term extends to include the persons and
organizations that makes, enforce, and apply political decisions for a society (Mendoza,
1999a).

Governing: on the other hand, includes institutions other than those of the government
that are involved in governing, at least in the broadest sense. These other institutions
can include labor and trade unions, corporations, universities, church organizations,
social movement organizations that “are all involved in one way or another in setting
rules or conventions (or seeking to do so) which govern some aspects of behavior of
their members” (Leftwitch 2011, 10).

Governance: The concept of “governance” is even broader than governing. Lefwitch

(2011, 10) captures the broad notion of governance as:
The general patterns and interlocking system of governing across both public
and private spheres by which the overall social, economics, and political life of a society
organized and managed, whether democratically or not, whether there are formal
institutions or not, and whether done by national, international, or transnational agencies
and institutions.
In short, in its broadest sense-and it is broad- governance refers to the web of
formal informal institutions, rules, norms, and expectations which govern behavior in
societies and without which the very idea of a human society is impossible.

Institutions in this broad definition of governance do not only refer to the rules,
procedures, and formal organizations of government. They also include informal
institutions loosely understood as “the customs, norms of behavior, unwritten rules, or
generally agreed ways of doing things within a society and …conventions within the
culture covering social interaction, marriage customs and burial ceremonies” (Ibid.,11)

Reference:
Philippine Politics and Governance by Tabajen and Pulma, 2016