MEANING OF POLITICS
Prince” a handbook for rulers in the art of government.
In every aspect of man’s life, there is always a conflict
and disagreement. They disagree about the distribution
of power 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 it is adventurous to avoid devastating wars,
enhance prosperity, protect human rights and guard
against environmental disasters. This is where politics
comes in.
Politics is the study of “Who gets what, when and how”
as Harold Laswell. Who gets power, authority, and
leadership? When they can get such and how they able
to get it? This is linked to the idea that politics is “the
master science” as caused by Aristotle (Roskin, et. al.,
2012). He further elaborated that politics is present in
our daily dealings in the polis (the Greek city-state). This
leads to the concept that politics indeed could also be
viewed as social activity. There is always an interaction
between and among the numbers of the society to
resolve disagreement and 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 decisions, the
allocations of scores resources and the practices of
deception and manipulation. Moreover, Politics is
consists of people acting politically, by organizing
political interest groups and trying to induce
governments to act in a way that will promote their
interests 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 and should act politically.
Politics could also be viewed 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 Machiavelli wrote “The
Thus, in contemporary time Prof. Francis Lieber also
wrote “Manual of Political Ethics”, the first systematic
treatise on political science that gives as well thorough
understanding of the disciplines. 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 on politics and defined political science in his
Manual cienca Politica in 1918 as the nature and
organization of the state, the structured and function of
the high branches of the 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 discipline that seeks to
understand the relationship between individual and
political institutions. Political Institutions defined as
collections of relevant rules and routines that
determines appropriate actions regarding relations
between roles and situations involving that
determination of what the situation is, what role being
fulfilled, and what obligation of what part of situation is
(Peters, 2012). Bluntschli , a Swiss scholar, defined
political science “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, “the part of science which treats the
foundations of the state and the principles of
government”, Thus, the other definitions clearly
indicates that political science is not only limited to the
study of the state and government, but it also includes
the society in macro perspective in so far as various
institutions of the state are interrelated with one
another.
CHARACTERISTICS OF POLTICS
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.
3. It deals with those relations among men and
groups which are subject to control by the state
 which the relations of men and groups to the
state itself and the relation of the state of
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 be change).
3. Modern Stage – the state was derived capable
of being improved by rulers and subjects
according to attain principles and laws.
Approaches of Defining Politics
 In Heywood citing Hay (2002) and Leftwich
(2004) identified two broad approaches: a
politics as an area or location. In here, politics is
associated with an arena or area, in which cause
behavior incomes ‘political’ because of where it
takes place. This incus that out of government
and public affairs.
 Politics as a Process or Mechanism in which
case political behavior is behavior that exhibits
distinctive characteristics or qualities, and so
can take place in any, and perhaps all, social
contexts. It includes compromise and
consensus, and power and the distribution of
resources.
THE MEANING OF GOVERNANCE
The concept of “GOVERNANCE” is an 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 in the following context:
Corporate governance, international governance,
national governance, and local governance (UNESCO for
Asia and the Pacific) Good governance assures that
corruption is minimized, the view of minorities is taken
into account and the voices of the most vulnerable in
society are heard in decision – making. It is also
responsive to the present and future needs of society.
Good governance entails sound public sector
management (efficiency, effectiveness, and economy),
accountability, exchange and the 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) accountability (ensuring transparency being
answerable for actions and media freedom)
competence (effective policy making, implementation
and set vice delivery), and respect for law and human
rights (Wyatt, 2005).
CHARACTEISTICS OR GOOD GOVERNANCE (UNESCO FOR
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC)
1. PARTICIPATION
- Participation as one the aspect of good
governance, by both men and woman, must
partake directly or indirectly (having a
representative) in governmental process.
This is because participation is an essential
cornerstone of good governance.
2. RULE OF LAW
- The rule of law means to say that good
governance manifested the impartiality of
fair legal framework such as the promotion
full protection of human rights and dignity
especially those members of minorities.
3. TRANSPARENCY
- Transparency means the decision were
taken, and their enforcement are done in a
manner that follows rules and regulations.
It also means that information is freely
available and directly accessible to those
who will be affected by such decisions and
their enforcement. It also means that
enough information is provided and that it
is provided in easily understandable forms
and media.
4. RESPONSIVENESS
- Good governance requires that institution
and process try to serve all stakeholders
within a reasonable timeframe.
5. CONSENSUS ORIENTED
- Good governance requires mediation of the
different interests in society to reach a
broad consensus in society on what is in the
best interest of the whole community and
how this can be achieved it also requires a
 broad and long-term perspective on what is
need
for sustainable human development. POLITICAL INSTITUTION
- Defined as collection of relevant rules and
6. EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENCY routines that determines appropriate
- Good governance means that processes and actions regarding relations between
institutions produce results that meet the routines that determines appropriate
needs of society while making the best use actions regarding relations between roles
of resources and their disposal. The concept and situations involving the determination
of efficiency in the context of good of what the situation is, what roles is being
governance also covers the protection of fulfilled and that obligation of that part in
the environment. that situation.
7. ACCOUNTABILITY
- Accountability is a crucial requirement for
good governance. Not only governmental
institution but also the private sector and
civil society organizations must be
accountable to the public and their
institutional stakeholders.

POLITICAL SCIENCE
- Is defined as the systematic study of
political governmental institutions and
process. It is a discipline that seeks to
understand the relationship between
individual and political institutions
(organizations in a gov’t. that create,
enforce, and apply laws); they often
mediate conflict, make governmental policy
on economy and social system.
-
Major political systems;
1. Democracies - form of gov’t. in which the
people the authority to deliberate and decide
legislation.
2. Monarchies – for of gov’t in which a person, the
monarch is the head of the state for life until
abdication (failure to fulfill a responsibility or
duty).
3. Oligarchies – small group of people having
control of a country, organization, or institution.
4. Authoritarian – enforcing strict obedience to
authority especially that of the government, at
the experience of personal freedom.
5. Totalitarian regimes – relating to a system of
government that is centralized and dictatorial
and requires complete subservience
(willingness to obey without questions) to the
state.