Politics, Analyzing a

Multifaceted Phenomenon
 THE 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE
PHILIPPINES – PREAMBLE

 We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty

God, in order to build a just and humane society, and establish
a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations,
promote the common good, conserve and develop our
patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity, the
blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law
and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and
peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.
Do you like politics? Are you
a political individual?
 What do you think about “disagreement”?
 Do you think disagreement is part of life or is it
avoidable?
 What does politics have to do with disagreement?
 How should power and other resources be distributed
 Should society be based on cooperation or conflict?
 What is conflict and what is cooperation?
 At the end of this chapter, learner must be able to
have a fuller understanding of the concept of Politics
and are expected to:
1.Articulate the definitions of Politics
2.Differentiate the various views on Politics
3.Explore the connection between the phenomenon
(Politics) and the method of inquiry (Political Science
4.Recognize the value of Politics and Governance
 Politics is generally refers to the practice and theory of
influencing other people, which oftentimes is directed towards
decision making or policy formulation but at times results in
conflict.

 Politics involves the making of a common decision for a group of

people, that is, a uniform decision applying in the same way to all
members of the group but are not all times agreeable to everyone.
 It also involves the use of power by one person to affect
the behavior and manner of thinking of another
individual.

 It refers to achieving and exercising positions of

governance-organized control over a human community,
particularly a state.
 POLITICS
The word Politics emanates from the word “polis” which
means city state in as much as Politics historically refers
to the activities that revolve within a city state.

In the mid-15th century, it was Latinized as “Polettiques”.

Thus it became “politics” in Middle English.
 The singular politic first attested in English 1430 and comes
from Middle French politique, in turn from Latin politicus,
which is the Latinization of the Greek (politikos), meaning
amongst others “of, for, or relating to citizens,” “civil,”
“civic”, “belonging to the state.”
 DEFINITIONS OF POLITICS
1.Politics is the art or science of government. –Chancellor
Bishmarck of Germany
2.Politics may broadly refer to political actions, practices, or
policies or political affairs or business; especially,
a)competition between competing interest groups or individuals for
power and leadership
b)Political life especially as a principal activity or profession
c)Political activities characterized by artful and often dishonest
practices.
3. Laswell (1978) defines politics as an activity that
generally refers to an “act of getting what, when and how in
the government.”

4. Politics is the Public Allocation of values- For the

political scientist David Easton ‘politics as the authoritative
allocation of values.’
 Politics A Compromise and Consensus
 Politics is seen as a particular means of resolving conflict: that
is, by compromise, conciliation and negotiation, rather than
through force and naked power. This is what is implied when
politics is portrayed as 'the art of the possible'.

 Such a definition is inherent in the everyday use of the term.

For instance, the description of a solution to a problem as a
'political' solution implies peaceful debate and arbitration, as
opposed to what is often called a 'military' solution.
 In this view, the key to politics is therefore a wide dispersal of power.
Accepting that conflict is inevitable, Bernard Crick argued that when
social groups and interests possess power they must be conciliated;
they cannot merely be crushed. 

 This is why he portrayed politics as 'that solution to the problem of

order which chooses conciliation rather than violence and coercion.’
Such a view of politics reflects a deep commitment to liberal-
rationalist principles. The disagreements that exist can be resolved
without resort to intimidation and violence. However, his model has
little to tell us about one-party states or military regimes.
 POLITICAL SCIENCE
 It is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with
systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities,
political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and laws.

 It is not a stand-alone field and its intersects many other branches like
sociology, economics, history, anthropology, public policy among others.

 Political science draws upon the fields of economics, law, sociology, history,
geography, psychology, anthropology, public administration, public policy,
national politics, international relations, comparative politics, psychology,
political organization, and political theory.
 Sub-Disciplines of Political Science
 Comparative politics
 International political economy
 International relations
 Political theory
 Public administration
 Public law
 Political methodology
 Comparative Politics
 It is a field and a method used in political science, characterized by an
empirical approach based on comparative method.

 It often involves comparisons among countries and through time within

single countries, emphasizing key pattern of similarity and difference.

 Arend Lijphart argues that comparative politics does not have a substantive
focus in itself, but rather a methodological one: it focuses on “the how but
does not specify the what of the analysis.”
 When applied to specific fields of study, comparative politics
may be referred to by other names, such as:
1.Comparative government- the comparative study of forms of
government.
2.Comparative foreign policy- comparing the foreign policies
of different States in order to establish general empirical
connections between the characteristics of the State and the
characteristics of its foreign policy.
 Political Economy (PE)
 Also known as global political economy (GPE), is an academic
discipline with political science that analyzes economics and
international relations.

 As an interdisciplinary field, it draws on many distinct academic

schools, most notably political economy, political science and
economics, also sociology, history, and cultural studies.
 International relations (IR) or International
affairs
 It is either a field of political science or an interdisciplinary academic
field similar to global studies, in which students take a variety of
internationally focused courses in social science and humanities
disciplines.

 The field studies relationships among countries, the roles of sovereign

states, intergovernmental organization (IGOs), international non-
governmental organizations (Ins), non-governmental organization
(NGOs), and multinational corporations (MNCs).
 Political philosophy or Political
Theory
 This is the study of topics such as politics, liberty, justice, property,
rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority.

 It often refers to a general view, or specific ethic, political belief or

attitude, about politics, synonymous to the term “political ideology”.

 It is the categorization of social thought by a group or by the persuasion

or beliefs of a geo-political mass.
 Public Administration
 It is the implementation of government policy and also an academic
discipline that studies this implementation and prepares civil servants
for working in the public service.

 Referred to the work involved in the actual conduct of the affairs of

government, regardless of the particular branch concerned.

 Woodrow Wilson is considered the father of public administration.

 Public Law
 It is that part of law which governs relationships between individuals and
the government, and those relationships between individuals which are of
direct concern to the society.

 It comprises constitutional law, administrative law, tax law, criminal law,

as well as all procedural law.

 In public law, mandatory rules prevail. Laws concerning relationships

between individuals belong to private law.
What is the Importance of
Political Science?
 Government
 It is an agency and an instrument for change and
mobilization.

 Without a government, the State may be plunged into

anarchy and chaos and the government acts as a
stabilizing factor to ensure that order can be achieved
both in the state in particular as well as in the society in
general.
Classifications of
Governments
 A. According to the Geopolitical
Distribution of Power
1.Unitary System- the power to govern is given to the national
or central government.

2.Federal System- the power to govern is shared between the

national, state and local levels.

3.Confederacy- A loose organization of independent states held

together by a weak central government.
 B. As to Who Possess the Power to
Govern
 A government of One
 A government of the “Few”
 A government of the “Many”
 A government of “One”
1.Autocracy- any system of government in which the power and
authority to rule are in the hands of a single individual.

Examples of Autocracy
a. Totalitarian Dictatorship
- A single leader seeks to control all aspects of social and
economic life.
 Dictatorial Rule
 It is form of government where a country is ruled by
one person or political entity, and exercised through
various mechanisms to ensure entity’s power remains
strong.

 Examples are the regimes of Ferdinand Marcos in the

Philippines and Suharto of Indonesia
 Monarchy
a. Absolute Monarchy- Monarchs have complete and unlimited
power to rule their people.

b.Constitutional Monarchy/ Limited Monarchy- The monarch

does not possess the real power to govern. Serves mainly as
ceremonial leaders of their governments.
 A government of the “Few”
a. Aristocracy- is a form of government that places power in the hands of a
small, privileged ruling class.

 The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning “rule of the best.
The “best” is an evaluative and subjective notion, it is difficult to
distinguish aristocratic from oligarchic governments objectively.

b. Oligarchy- any system of government in which a small group holds the

power.
 In here exist the rule of the wealthy whose policy framework are directed
against the poor and the marginalized.
 A government of the “Many”
a. Democracy- any system of government in which the rule is by the people.
 Lincoln described it as, “government of the people, by the people, and for
the people.
 It is a government in which the sovereign power rests in hands of the
populace, but it is exercised by the representatives, either chosen by
popular vote or appointed by those chosen.
 Democracy literally, rule by the people.
 b. Direct Democracy
 The people govern themselves by voting on issues individually as
citizens. No country has a government based on direct democracy.

c. Representative Democracy- the people elect representatives and give

them the power to make laws and conduct government.

 This is a form of democratic government which vests the sovereign

power in the people but is exercised by the representatives chosen by the
popular vote or appointed by those chosen.
 As to Source of Power
a. Hereditary- The monarch inherits the crown according to a fixed rule of
succession, determined either by a constitution, or act of parliament, or
by the rule of dynastic house or family to which the monarch belong.

b. Elective- The voters elect the ruler through a popular election

 As to the Political Structure
1. Parliament- The real executive-the cabinet or the ministry – is
immediately and legally responsible to the legislative or one branch of it
for its political policies and acts, and immediately or ultimately
responsible to the electorate, while the titular or nominal executive-the
chief of the State occupies a position of irresponsibility.

2. Presidential Government/Republican- It is a form of democratic

government where the executive (President) is constitutionally
independent of the legislative (Congress) in respect to the duration of term
or tenure.
 As to its Legality or Constitutionality
a. De Jure Government- is one which has the general support of the people and exists
according to the constitutional or other legal process. It may or may not be in actual
exercise of government power within its territory.

b. De facto Government- is one, which does not have the general support of the people
but not its existence in accordance with the Constitution.

 It is a government of fact in the sense that is has the actual possession or exercise of
government powers.

 It may have been installed by peaceful or forceful means within the country or by the
invading forces of belligerent military occupants.
 CONCEPT OF GOVERNANCE
 It refers to “all 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
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.”
 The Concept of Good Governance
 It is about the process for making and implementing decisions. It’s not
about making ‘correct’ decisions, but about the best possible process for
making those decisions.

 All have a positive effect on various aspect of local government

including consultation policies and practices, meeting procedures,
service quality protocols, councilor and officer conduct, role clarification
and good working relationships.

 It can be a useful tool to engage the public, to foster cooperation,

mitigate Corruption and promote efficiency in the government.
 Eight Elements of Good Governance
1.Rule of Law
 It requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced by
an impartial regulatory body, for the full protection of
stakeholders.
2. Transparency
 It means that information should be provided in easily understandable
forms and media; that it should be freely available and directly accessible
to those who will be affected by governance policies and practices, as
well as the outcomes resulting therefrom; and that any decisions taken and
their enforcement are in compliance with established rules regulations.

3. Responsiveness
 Requires that organizations and their processes are designed to serve the
best interests of stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe.