POLITICS, GOVERNANCE,

AND OTHER KEY

CONCEPTS
LESSON 1 – PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE
OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

 1. define politics, governance, and other key concepts of political science;
 2. explain the connection between the phenomenon (politics) and the method of inquiry
(political science);
 3. differentiate governance and politics; and
 4. explain the value of politics.
“
“Man is by nature a political animal.”

– ARISTOTLE, POLITICS (FATHER OF POLITICAL SCIENCE) ”

What is politics?

 activity that involves the interaction of people, whose relationship is characterized by

conflict and cooperation, and who come together to solve such disagreements through
binding solutions.
 politics is no utopian solution
 There are disagreements that remain as such.
what makes social interaction a political
one?
Any form of social interaction that
involves the art of government, public
affairs, compromise and consensus, or
power and distribution of resources is
political.
The Different Views on Politics
The Different Views on Politics
 People think that politics only involves the state or the government.
 It must be noted, however, that human beings relate to each other not only in formal
structures but also in collective arrangements such as families, religions, peer groups, or
cultures.

Power is also exercised in these types of

relationships, making them political as
well.
“ How does power determine the kinds of
relationships that people have with
others— be it members of the family,
classmates, or persons of authority?
”
  POLITICAL SCIENCE IS A SOCIAL
SCIENCE DISCIPLINE THAT STUDIES
THE STATE AND THE GOVERNMENT.
 THE STATE IS A POLITICAL
COMMUNITY THAT INVOLVES FOUR
IMPORTANT ELEMENTS, NAMELY,
What Is a PEOPLE, TERRITORY, SOVEREIGNTY,
AND GOVERNMENT.
Government?  THE GOVERNMENT IS THE
INSTRUMENT OF THE STATE
THROUGH WHICH THE WILL OF THE
PEOPLE IS EXPRESSED, CARRIED
OUT, AND FORMULATED.
the government serves as the
bridge that connects the people
to the state.
What is government and governance?

As an institution, it is  On the other hand, good

the government which governance arises when
concretizes the policies the government involves
the people in its agenda
and addresses the
and in the process of
problems of the state. policy making.
how do political scientists study the political
world?

 The philosophical tradition, otherwise known as political philosophy, is

regarded as the traditional approach to politics.
 The Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle are usually associated with this
tradition as they asked what “should” or “ought” instead of what “is.” This
tradition underscored the analytical study of doctrines that have become the
major focus of political thought.
how do political scientists study the political
world?

 empirical tradition
 Political scientists who advocate this approach believe that any
account of political reality must be impartial and should thus be
tested through observation.
 Those who work in this tradition therefore seek to analyze and
explain, and not to offer recommendations, as in the
philosophical tradition.
how do political scientists study the political
world?

 scientific tradition
 This tradition promotes objective and quantifiable ways of studying
politics.
 The scientific tradition was further pushed with the rise of behavioralism,
or the belief that social theories should arise from observation and
quantifiable data.
how do political scientists study the political
world?

 scientific tradition
 This tradition promotes objective and quantifiable ways of studying
politics.
 The scientific tradition was further pushed with the rise of behavioralism,
or the belief that social theories should arise from observation and
quantifiable data.
Recent theoretical approaches contribute in widening
the perspective of studying political science.

 rational choice theory

 new institutionalism
 critical theory
 Feminism
 Marxism
 post-positivist
 postmodernist approaches

Make a research on these recent approaches and be ready to present

in class your ideas about their main arguments or premises.
You have learned that…

 politics is characterized by an interaction between individuals whose relationship is characterized

by conflict and cooperation.
 Politics also involves the presence of binding solutions that will solve such differences, although
politics is no utopian solution.
 A particular form of social interaction could be considered political if it involves relationships
that have something to do with the art of governance, public affairs, compromise and consensus,
and power relations, which all fall within political research.
 The ability to determine what is political is important in researching about or studying politics.
 The use of particular approaches in political science—whether the scientific, philosophical, or
empirical ones—is crucial in understanding what politics entails.