Understanding Culture, Society, & Politics

Forms and Functions of

State and Non-state
Institution
 STATE
A state is a community formed by people and
exercising permanent power within a specified
territory. A state has sovereignty, which means its
government makes and enforces its own laws
without the approval from any other authority.
STATE
In some countries such as United States,
Australia, Nigeria, Mexico, and Brazil,
the term state also refers to political units
that are not sovereign themselves but
subject to the authority of the larger state,
or federal union.
The Philippines as a state

ARTICLE II
Declaration of Principles and State
Policies

Principles

SECTION 1. The Philippines is a

democratic and republican State.
Sovereignty resides in the people and all
government authority emanates from them.
Elements of the States
Population
It is the people who make the state.
Population is essential for the state.
Without population there can be no State.
Territory
There can be no state without a fixed
territory. People need territory to live and
organize themselves socially and politically.
It may be remembered that the territory of the
states includes land, water and airspace.
Government
It is the organization or machinery or agency of
the State which makes, implements, enforces,
and adjudicates the laws of the state.
Sovereignty
It is the most exclusive elements of State.
Without sovereignty no state can exist. State
has the exclusive title and prerogative to
exercise supreme power over all its people
and territory. It is the basis which the State
regulates all aspects of the life of the people
living in its territory.
There are two major types of state or social institutions: the
communist, based on command economy; and the
democracy, based on capitalist economy.

Most communist countries, like the former Union of Soviet

Socialist Republic (USSR), and North Korea, are governed by
their respective governments alone. They do not allow private
companies or individuals to do business in their land; thus,
the people have no opportunity to choose because the
government decide what is best for their own citizens.

However, democracy is a kind of government based on

capitalism where the government provides the major
industries but allows private entities or individuals to produce
goods and services for the people; thus, citizens are given
much freedom to choose for themselves.
POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS, STATE INSTITUTIONS
Politically, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the
Philippine National Police (PNP) helps the government
maintain peace and order throughout its territory.

The Local Government Units (LGU) is created to cater the

needs of the local barangays or communities.

The Department of Education (DepEd) ensures the quality of

education based on the needs and norms the society.

The different branches of the government create, implement,

and interpret the laws we use as guide for our conduct.
These organized, political bodies are called state institutions.

Government-controlled state institutions fulfil the wishes of

the Philippine State: public service and public control.
POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS, STATE INSTITUTIONS
NON-STATE INSTITUTIONS
Ideally, in a democratic country, major industries must be under the
control of the state, like banks, petroleum, transportation, and
communication because they are vital in the economy of the country.
However, in the recent years, the said industries are being sold to
private entities to carry away the burden from its operation and
maintenance.

Today, private corporations headed by executives controls the major

industries in the country with very minimum government supervision,
most of these are petroleum (Shell, Caltex and Petron),
telecommunication (Smart, Globe and PLDT), transportation (Cebu
Pacific and Philippine Air Lines), etc. These entities significantly affect
the lives of the people either directly or indirectly.
NON-STATE INSTITUTIONS
Banks help us keep our money, avail different kinds of loan, and
exchange currencies. The accumulated money of the bank is
invested to some projects to gain profit; this is how banks pay their
workers and depositors’ interest depending on the agreed terms.

Moreover, banks help the country by providing financial assistance to

those entrepreneurs who wanted to create or expand their business.
By doing so, they also provide job opportunities among local citizens.
NON-STATE INSTITUTIONS
A corporation is owned by a group of people but
has a separate legal identity (the owners of a
corporation are not responsible for its own
debts). Corporations offer stocks (determines
level of ownership), as well as bonds (allows
one to earn interest). These generate large
amounts of capital, which is needed for growth.

Since a corporation is associated with various

industries, it needs a huge work force to run and
operate. This provides job opportunities to The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or the
number of workers in the country and thus Commission is the national government regulatory agency
charged with supervision over the corporate sector, the
lessen the problem of poverty. capital market participants, and the securities and investment
instruments market, and the protection of the investing public.
NON-STATE INSTITUTIONS
Trade unions. There are some entrepreneurs who are only
after for profit, and they tend to maximize working hours
and minimize wages as much as possible. This is where
the trade union steps in. They look after the well-being of
the workers.

Collectively, they raise issues such as low salary, lack of

compensation, etc. to the management that sometimes ends up with
work “stoppage” or strike until the demands of both sides are met.

Trade unions are created to protect the labor force of the country.
Workers are essential to the creation of goods and services for the
citizenry. In the Philippines, the Trade Union Congress of the
Philippines has the largest membership.
NON-STATE INSTITUTIONS
Cooperatives are made up of people with common interest who
agreed to work together for easy, safe, and affordable access to
commodities, loans, and other services. They are created to help and
empower one another with a minimum help from the government.
Farmers’ cooperatives and teachers’ cooperatives are common
examples.
NON-STATE INSTITUTIONS
Development agencies promote progress by engaging in projects,
policy-making, and dialogue). Some countries with active agencies in
the Philippines are Japan (JICA), Canada (CIDA), and U.S.A.
(USAID). Those providing financial assistance include the Asian
Development Bank (ADB).

Development agencies works as a bank that provides financial

assistance to important projects. The creation of bridge that connects
one province to another, or road construction that helps ordinary
farmers transport their products may be put into reality through the
help of these agencies.
NON-STATE INSTITUTIONS
Civil organizations include academic institutions, research teams,
mass media, religious organizations, and people’s organizations.
They provide facts about the life’s various realities to influence policy-
making.

These organizations are created to expose the conditions of the

marginalized sector of the society by using mass media as its
platform as they raise critical issues to the government.
ARTICLE III
BILL OF RIGHTS

Section 4. No law shall be passed abridging the freedom

of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the
people peaceably to assemble and petition the
government for redress of grievances.
NON-STATE INSTITUTIONS
Transnational advocacy groups
influence the government to take action
on matters commonly neglected. A
group maybe a national or an
international organization that promotes
and advocates progress and
development related to particular issues
of the society. Greenpeace and Human
Rights Watch are some examples.

Transnational advocacy networks essentially communication

networks that “plead the causes of others or defend a cause or
proposition” across international state boundaries. They are
defined as organizations bound by shared values, “dense
exchanges of information,” and “common discourse”