POLITICAL SCIENCE

AND OTHER RELATED

SCIENCES
 Political Science
• Is the systematic study of the state and government. The word “political”,
derived from the Greek word polis, meaning a city, or what today would
be the equivalent of a sovereign state. The word “science” comes from the
Latin word scire, “to know.”
• The branch of science that deals with systems of government; the analysis
of political activity and behavior.
 Scope of Political Science
1. Political Theory- the entire body of doctrines relating to the origin, form, behavior, and
purposes of the state are dealt with in the study of this subject.
2. Public law- The (a) organization of governments, (b) the limitations upon government
authority, (c ) the powers and duties of governmental offices and officers, and (d) the
obligations of one state to another are handled in the study of public law.
-It is in contradistinction to the rules of private law which governs the relations among
individuals, Public law is so specialized that separate courses offered in each of its
subdivisions- constitutional law (a,b) administrative law (c ), and international law (d).
 3. Public administration- attention is focused upon the methods and
techniques used in the actual management of state affairs by executive,
legislative, and judicial branches of government.

INTERRELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER BRANCHES OF LEARNING

1. History- the written record of the past arranged in chronological order.
- it is the glow of embers in the ashes of time.
- the bond between the Political Scientist and Historian, where History is the
past politics and politics present history.

2. Economics- the study of the production, distribution, and conservation, and

consumption of wealth.
3. Geography- is the study of places and the relationships between people and their
environments.

• Geopolitics- a science concerned with the study of the influences of physical factors
such as population pressures, sources of raw materials, geography, etc. upon domestic
and foreign politics.
• 4. Sociology- a social science that studies human societies, their interactions, and the
processes that preserve and change them. (studies the behavior and relationship of
society as a whole)
• 5. Anthropology- the study of human beings and their ancestors through time and space
and in relation to physical character, environmental and social relations, and culture.
• - studies “mankind” in relation to physical, social, and cultural
development
 5. Psychology- studies the mental and emotional processes motivating the political

behavior of individuals and groups .

• 6. Philosophy (from Greek: φιλοσοφία, philosophia, 'love of wisdom')- is the study of
general and fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and
language.
• -an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental
truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world
and each other.
• 7.Statistics- derived from the Latin word “Status” that means a group of numbers or
figures; those represent some information of our human interest.
• - the practice or science of collecting and analyzing numerical data in large
quantities, especially for the purpose of inferring proportions in a whole from those in a
representative sample.
8. Logic- is a method of reasoning that involves a series of statements, each
of which must be true if the statement before it is true.

• 9. Jurisprudence- derives from the Latin term juris prudentia, which

means “the study, knowledge, or science of law” or commonly means the
philosophy of law.
• -branch of public law, concerned with the analysis of
existing legal systems and also with the ethical, historical, sociological,
and psychological foundations of law.
 Functions and Importance of Political Science

1. To discover the principles that should be adhered to in public affairs and to study the
operations of government in order to demonstrate what is good, to criticize what is bad or
inefficient, and to suggest improvements.
2. Its findings and conclusions may be of immense practical use to constitution-makers,
legislators, executives, and judges who need models or norms that can be applied to
immediate situations.
3. The study of political science deals also with problems of social welfare, governmental
economic programs, international cooperation, and a wide range of other matters that are
urgent concern to public officials and to private citizens.
 Goals In the Study of Political Science
• 1. Education for citizenship- is the primary objective of the Political Science
curriculum. The preparation of students for careers in politics, law, teaching, the
civil service, and the foreign service (though vitally important) is secondary to the
task of equipping them to discharge the obligations of democratic citizenship,
which grow constantly heavier in the modern world.

• 2. Essential parts of liberal education- it bears no material price tag and promise no
job security. Intelligent, responsible citizenship can save democracy; ignorance
and negligence can lose it.
3. Knowledge and understanding of government- it is not enough that you behaves yourself and
vote regularly, but must be the citizen who knows the answers, must know how his government
really operates, what interests and forces are behind particular policies, what the results of such
policies are likely to be, what are his rights and obligations, and who he/she elected representatives
and what they stand for..

CONCEPTS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT

State- is a community of persons more or less numerous, permanently
occupying a definite portion of territory, having a government of their own
to which the great body of inhabitants render obedience, and enjoying
freedom from external control.
ELEMENTS OF STATE
1. People- refers to the inhabitants living within the state.
2. Territory- it includes not only the fixed portion of land over which the jurisdiction
of the state extends (territorial domain), but also the rivers and lakes therein, a certain
area of the sea which abuts upon its coasts ( fluvial and maritime domain) and the air
space above the land and the waters (aerial domain). Thus, the domain of the state
may be described as terrestrial, fluvial, maritime, and aerial.
• 3. Government- refers to the agency through which the will of the state is
formulated, expressed and carried out; it also used to refer to the person or
aggregate of those persons in whose hands are placed for the time being the
function of political control.

• 4. Sovereignty- the supreme power of the state to command and enforce

obedience to its will from people within its jurisdiction and corollarily, to
have freedom from foreign control.
 Two Manifestations of Sovereignty:
a.) Internal or the power of the state to rule within its territory; and
b.) External or the freedom of the state to carry out its activities without
subjection to or control by other states.
- it is often referred to as Independence.
 ORIGIN OF STATES
• 1. Divine right theory- it holds that the state is of divine creation and the ruler is
ordained by God to govern the people.
• 2. Necessity or force theory- maintains that states must have been created through
force, by some great warriors who imposed their will upon the weak;
• 3. Paternalistic theory- it attributes the origin of states to the enlargement of the family
which remained under the authority of the father or mother.
• 4. Social contract theory- it asserts that the early states must have been formed by
deliberate and voluntary compact among the people to form a society and organize
government for their common good.
 State Distinguished from Nation
STATE
- a political concept
-a community of persons more or less numerous,
permanently occupying a definite portion of territory,
having a government of their own, to which the great
body of inhabitants render obedience, and enjoying
freedom from external control.
- is not subject to external control
-single state may consist of one or more nations or
peoples
NATION
an ethnic concept
-is a group of people bound together by certain
characteristics such as common social origin,
language, customs, and traditions who believe that
they are one and distinct from others.
may or may not be independent of external control;
and
- a single nation may be made up of several states.
 Points of Difference between State and Nation

1. The elements of state and nation are different.

2. State is a political organization, while Nation is a social, cultural, psychological, emotional and political unity.
3. Possession of a definite territory is essential for the State but not for a Nation.
4. Sovereignty is essential for a State, but not for a Nation
5. Nation can be wider than the State.
6. There can be two or more nationalities living in one State
7. Nation is more stable than the State
8. A State can be created while a Nation is the result of evolution
9. The State uses Police power (force) for preserving its unity and integrity, the Nation is bound by strong
cultural and historical links.
 State Distinguished from Government
State
-is considered to be the principal
- cannot exist without a government
- As long as its essential elements are present, it will
remain to be same.
Government
-the only agency through which the State articulates its
will.
-considered to be an agent
-it is possible to have a government without a state.
That is why we had various governments at different
periods of our history from Pre-Spanish times to the
present.
Example: There was no Philippine state during those
periods when we were under foreign domination.
- It may change, its form may change
 9 Main Differences between State and Government
STATE
-it has four essential elements: people/population,
territory, government, sovereignty/independence
-principal having the four essential elements
-abstract (a concept, an idea used to denote a
community of persons living on a definite territory
and organized for the exercise of sovereignty)
-whole population; all the people are citizens of the
state
-membership is compulsory (citizenship)
- Sovereignty belongs here (hallmark)
It is comprehensive, unlimited and all inclusive and
supreme power
GOVERNMENT
-only an element of the state
-is the agency/agent of the state
-concrete (made by the people of the state; formed by
the representatives of the people)
- Made by the representatives of the people
- Membership is not automatic (no one can be forced
to become its part)
- Sovereignty ( exercise power on behalf of the
state)
Exercises only, well defined and limited powers
 Purpose and necessity of government
• 1. Advancement of the public welfare- government exists and should continue to exists for the
benefit of the people governed. It is necessary for (a) the protection of society and its members,
the security of persons and property, the administration of justice, the preservation of the state
from external danger, dealings of the state with foreign powers (constituent functions) and (b)
the advancement of the physical, economic, social, and cultural well-being of the people
( ministrant functions)
• 2. Consequence of absence- government exists to do these things which by their nature, it is
better equipped to administer for the public welfare than any private individual or group of
individuals.
 Forms of Government
• The principal forms are the following:
(1)As to number of persons exercising sovereign powers.
A.) Monarchy- one in which the supreme and final authority is in the hands of a single
person without regard to the source of his election or the nature or duration of his
tenure.
Monarchies are further classified into:
(1.)Absolute monarchy- one in which the ruler rules by divine right; and
(2.) Limited monarchy- one in which the ruler rules in accordance with a constitution;
 B.) Aristocracy- one in which the political power is exercised by a few privileged class
known as aristocracy or oligarchy.

• C.) Democracy-one in which political power is exercised by a majority of the people.

Democratic Governments are further classified into:
1.) Direct or pure democracy- one in which the will of the state is formulated or expressed
directly and immediately through the people in a mass meeting or primary assembly rather than
through the medium of delegates or representatives chosen to act for them; and
2.) Indirect, representative, or republican democracy- one in which the will of the state is
formulated and expressed through the agency of a relatively small and select body of persons
chosen by the people to act as their representatives.
 (2) As to extent of powers exercised by the central or national government:
a.) Unitary government- one in which the control of national and local affairs is exercised by the
central or national government; and
b.) Federal government- one in which the powers of government are divided between two (2)
sets of organs, one for national affairs and the other for local affairs, each organ being supreme
within its own sphere.
-United States is a federal government.
 (3) As to relationship between the executive and the legislative branches of the government:
 a.) Parliamentary government- one in which the state confers upon the legislature the
power to terminate the tenure of office of the real executive.

b.) Presidential government-one in which the state makes the executive constitutionally independent of the
legislature as regards his tenure and to a large extent as his regards his policies and acts, and furnishes him with
sufficient powers to prevent the legislature from trenching upon the sphere marked out by the constitution as
executive independence and prerogative.
CLASSIFICATION OF THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT
-Philippine government is a representative, democracy, a unitary and presidential government with
separation of powers. It also embodies some aspects of pure democracy, such as, for instance, the
constitutional provision on initiative and referendum. (see Art. VI, Sec. 32)
-Under our Constitution, executive power is vested in the President and the Cabinet, legislative power with the
Congress composed of a Senate and a House of Representatives, and judicial power with the Supreme Court
and the lower courts.