Politics Defined

 According to Harold Haswel that politics is the study of “ who gets what, when and how”
 the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate
or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.
 Politics is the exercise of power, the science of government, the making of collective decisions,
the allocation of scarce resources and the practice of deception and manipulation.
 the art or science of government which concerned with guiding or influencing
governmental policy and winning and holding control over a government
 process of making decisions applying to all members of each group. It refers to achieving
and exercising positions of governance — organized control over a human community,
particularly a state.
Aristotle wrote the first systematic work focused on the political affairs known as the Politics
that named him the Father of Political Science. The Father of Modern Political Science, Niccolo
Machiavelli, wrote “The Prince” a handbook for rulers in the art of government.
In the Philippines, Department of Political Science was established in the College of Liberal Arts in
1915, University of 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”
Characteristics of Politics (Shievely, 2013)
1. Politics always involves the making of collective decisions for the group of people
2. Those decision are made by some members of the group exercising power over other
members of the group.
The Science of Politics (Pulma & Tabajen, 2016)
1. It is the 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 a
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 the state to
another state.
Stages in the Study of Political Science (Pulma & Tabajen, 2016)
1. Religious Stage – the government, its leaders and laws was considered as divine or divinely
inspired.
2. Metaphysical Stage - the stage was considered as a human institution, and it is, therefore,
absolute (cannot be changed)
3. Modern Stage – the state was deemed capable of being improved by rulers and subjects
according to certain principles and laws
Governance Defined
 It is defined as the process of decision making and the process by which decisions are
implemented (or not implemented).
 refers to all of processes of governing, whether undertaken by a government, market or
network, whether over a family, tribe, formal or informal organization or territory and
whether through the laws, norms, power or language. It relates to the processes of
interaction and decision-making among the actors involved in a collective problem that lead
to the creation, reinforcement, or reproduction of social norms and institutions.
 an establishment of policies, and continuous monitoring of their proper implementation, by
the members of the governing body of an organization. It includes the mechanisms required
to balance the powers of the members (with the associated accountability), and their primary
duty of enhancing the prosperity and viability of the organization
(http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/governance.html)
 commonly defined as the exercise of power or authority by political leaders for the well-being
of their country’s citizens or subjects. It is the complex process whereby some sectors of the
society wield power, and enact and promulgate public policies which directly affect human
and institutional interactions, and economic and social development.
Characteristics of Good Governance (UNESCO for Asia and the Pacific) (Pulma & Tabajen, 2016)
1. Participation – one of the aspects of good governance, by both men and women, must
partake directly or indirectly (having representative) in every governmental process. This is
because participation in an essential cornerstone of good governance.

2. Rule of Law – it manifested through the impartiality of fair legal framework such as the
promotion of a full protection of human rights and dignity especially those members of
minorities.

3. Transparency – means that decisions were taken, and their enforcement are done in a
manner that follows rules and regulations. It is also means that information is freely
available and directly accessible to those who will be affected by such decisions and their
enforcement.

4. Responsiveness – it requires that institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders
within a reasonable timeframe.

5. Consensus Oriented – it requires mediation of the different interest in society to reach a

broad consensus in society on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how
this be achieved.

6. Effectiveness and Efficiency – it means that processes and institutions produce results
that meet the needs of society while making the best use of resources at their disposal. The
concept of efficiency in the context of good governance also covers the sustainable use of
natural.

7. Accountability – this is a crucial requirement for good governance. Not only governmental
institutions but also the private sector and civil society organizations must be accountable to
the public and their institutional stakeholders.
Learning Task No. 1 Polvenn Diagram
Directions: List in the circles below what you have learned about Politics and Governance. On the
overlapping parts, write your ideas on how both topics are interrelated. (adopted Pulma & Tabajen,
2016)

Politics Governance

Reflection:
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Learning Task No. 2 Slogan

Direction: Make a slogan which emphasize the importance of politics and governance in our
daily life.
Relevance to the theme 30%
Originality 25%
Creativity 20%
Uniqueness 15%
Impact and Presentation 10%
100%

Reflection:

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