Luis, D.

3B

Intro to Political Analysis and Research

Topic #1
What is Politics?

Politics
● There are various opinions and conceptions about it. There are also various
criticisms regarding its definitions. Thus, politics is a contested concept.

Politics as the “art of government”

● "Simplistic" view of politics.
● The process of running the government by those who have authority; art because
it requires skills, as there are numerous ways of doing it.
● It also requires "dynamic imagination" – it can lead you to the different landscapes
and governance environments to run governmental affairs
○ ex. In the implementation of public policies, LGUs might have their ways to
do so but should not go contrary to the national laws

Politics as public affairs

● Gives premium to the public realm rather than the public realm.
● Traced back to Aristotle: "man is a political animal", it is only within a political
community that human beings can live the good life
● Institutions of the State (public)
○ Responsible for the collective organization of community life.
● Civil Society (private)
○ Set up and funded by individual citizens to satisfy their own interests
(i.e., family, church, private business, trade union)
○ They have their own agenda
○ These interests are also articulated in the public sphere (through the
partylists)
○ "Votes are expressions of hope"
● Critique: Politics goes beyond the public domain; evident in the private realm that
largely affects the public realm.

Politics as the operation of the state

● Politics should be equated with the activities of the state because it is an
"administrative structure"
○ “Administrative Structure” which uses force to compel obedience and the
monopoly of force is embodied in the military and police force to the extent
that the state exercises sovereignty over its territory. (Weber)
Luis, D.
3B

Politics as power
● A very important definition; Political Science, in particular, is deeply interested in
the idea of power.
● Power is at work in all social activities
● Harold Laswell: defines politics as who gets what, when, and how.
○ [Politics] is a key ingredient in acquiring one's interests (what), but not only
that; it also works on the temporality dimension (when), and the
methodological dimension (how)

Politics as collective action and decision

● Operates amid diversities and interests.
● Reaching a consensus and coming up with a collective decision then action –
premised on diversity and scarcity.
● Politics as the process whereby a group of people, whose opinions or interests are
initially divergent, reach collective decisions which are generally regarded as
binding the group and enforced as common policy (Miller, 2002)
● "Politics is about numbers". (i.e., a reflection of the amount of votes garnered by a
candidate in spite of the contention he or she may have faced leading up to the
elections proper)

Politics as determination and execution of public policy

● Emphasis on how decisions are made and carried out for the society rather than
the state structures as the sole center of political life.
● Concerned with the implementation of public policy once they are made.
○ Assuming three things:
i. Decisions affect the vast numbers of members in society.
ii. Deals with acceptable decisions which do not require force (in a
stable system that is expected; the constant use of force reveals the
instability of the environment)
iii. Takes place outside state structures.

Politics as relation and conflict among different classes in the society

● Marxist perspective: To attack the false consciousness and disbandment of classes.
● Those who own and control the means of production constitute the class of
oppressors and the "have not" belong to the class of the oppressed.
● Predictions of Marx did not materialize (it is a Utopia, which is simply impossible to
attain as it prescribes the absolute removal of capitalism).

Politics as compromise and consensus

● Politics is about peaceful conflict resolution.
Luis, D.
3B

○ Considered as the “hopeful side of politics”.

● Politics expects consensus building, negotiation, conciliations, compromise,
rather than through force.
○ Order prevails and is maintained in the process of doing so (peace and order)
● However: this is not always the case – if this fails, and military conflict or any kind
of violence erupts as a consequence, then politics can be said to have been rejected
or failed.
● This conception limits politics to a particular kind of politics (Bernard Crick, 2002).

Reminders
August 1, 2022 – first PA activity
August 3, 2022 – next synchronous meeting