CONCEPT,

RELATIONSHIP AND
IMPORTANCE OF
POLITICS,
GOVERNANCE AND
GOVERNMENT
ACTIVITY
LOOK AT THE IMAGE BELOW. WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT IT?
• Politics is exciting because people have different
viewpoints. According to Heywood (2007), people may
disagree about the following concerns:
How people should live?
Who should get what?
How should power and other resources be distributed?
Should society be based on cooperation or conflict?
DEFINING POLITICS

• in broadest sense, politics is the activity through which people

make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they
live. (Heywood 2007)
• activity or process through which groups reach and
enforce binding decisions. (Hague & Harrop 2013)
• activity by which different interests are conciliated
by giving them a share in power in proportion to
their importance to the welfare and the survival of
the whole community. (Crick 2005)
• set of activities that organizes individuals,
systematically resolves disputes, and maintains
order in society through creation and enforcement
of rules and government policy. (Barrington et al.
2010)
• activity through which human beings attempt to
improve their lives and create the Good Society.
(Aristotle in Heywood 2007)
STUDYING POLITICS - THE DIFFERENT
VIEWS ABOUT POLITICS
• A. Politics as the art of government
- Politics is viewed as an art or practical application of
knowledge for attaining a particular objective. Considered as
the classical definition of politics: the art of government or
exercise of control in society through making and enforcement
of collective or group decisions
• B. Politics as public affairs
- This second view looks at politics as what happens in the
public sphere of life. It is important that you remember the
distinction between ‘the political’ and ‘the nonpolitical’. It
coincides with the division between what is public and what is
private. If it happens in the public sphere, it is political.
• C. Politics as compromise and consensus
- The third view about politics focuses on the way
how decisions are made. Politics is seen as a
particular means of resolving conflict: that is, by
compromise, conciliation and negotiation, rather
than through the use of force and naked power.
• D. Politics as power
- The fourth view sees politics as something that is present in
all social activities, at every level of social interaction; it can be
found within our families and amongst our small groups of
friends just as much as amongst nations and on the international
or global stage.
POLITICS

• The science of the government.

• It includes the decision-making process in any
group that makes and enforces rules for its
members
HOW CAN WE STUDY POLITICS?
• Studying politics entails using different approaches
or perspectives.
• It can be studied through political science because
embraces an array of theoretical perspectives and a
variety of analytic frameworks. (E.g. Marxism,
Feminism, etc.)
• In the Philippines, Politics can be studied through the
exercise of power by political leaders, and the effectiveness
of government institutions, official action, appointments to
a position, crafting economic policies, lawmaking,
processing of applications for government permits and
licenses, etc
WHY STUDY POLITICS?

• It helps you to know your rights

• It clarifies what you believe
• It helps you understand the affairs of our nation
• It prepares you for adult life
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE ABOUT
POLITICS?
• You should always know what is going on around
you.
• You should have a say in what will happen.
• The decisions people make will affect many lives.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Political science is the study of politics and power
from domestic, international, and comparative
perspectives. It entails understanding political
ideas, ideologies, institutions, policies, processes,
and behavior, as well as groups, classes,
government, diplomacy, law, strategy, and war.
What is the difference between politics
and political science?
• The concepts of politics and political science are
often confused and interchanged. Indeed, they deal
with very similar topics, but they are deeply
different in meaning.
• The term “politics” refers to the state of affairs of a country, including the
structure of its government and the decisions taken by the ruling party.
• Conversely, the term “political science” refers to the theoretical analysis
of all political systems, including their origins, their underlying values
and their goals.
• While the idea of politics refers to the concrete implementation of social
and economic policies, political science provides a more comprehensive
understanding of governance and gives us the tools to interpret the
government’s actions.