POLITICAL AND LEADERSHIP STRUCTURES

POLITICAL STRUCTURE OR INSTITUTION IS DEFINED AS THE ORGANIZED WAY IN WHICH POWER IS

DISTRIBUTED AND DECISIONS ARE MADE WITHIN A SOCIETY.

• Power is the fundamental in the normal functioning of

society as expressed in terms of force may it be physical or
psychological in nature.
• Authority is defined as the power widely as legitimate rather
than coercive.
POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS
 Is any entity that is involved in the political process. – includes political institution, political parties,
political groups. – are engaged in political activities aimed at achieving clearly defined political goals,
which improve political system, benefit the interests of their members.

TYPES OF POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS

• BANDS
• TRIBES
• CHIEFDOM
• STATES
1. BANDS

 BANDS – refers to a small kin-ordered group living together in a loosely defined

geographical territory for a temporary time-until sufficient resources are gathered to
sustain the group. Once resources are no longer enough to sustain the group, the band
separates into nuclear families. (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, and McBride, 2008).
 is a very small, oftentimes nomadic, group that is based on family ties and is
politically independent. Due to this nomadic lifestyle, meaning moving from place to
place, usually in search of food, bands are most often made up of hunter-gatherers.
Usually being governed by group consensus, bands are egalitarian societies, societies
in which all persons of the same age and gender are seen as equals.
II. TRIBES

 TRIBES – Made up of kin-groups. However, tribes

practice agriculture, allowing them to support large
populations. Leaders in the tribe merely titular. They
neither have the power nor the authority to impose
compliance to societal norms or clan decisions
(Haviland, Prins, Walrath, and McBride, 2008)
 A combination of smaller kin or non-kin groups,
linked by a common culture, that usually act as one.
Usually larger than bands, tribes will often employ
some form of agriculture; however, they are usually
still egalitarian in nature.
 III. CHIEFDOM

 CHIEFDOM – power and authority are bestowed to the chief

because he is the highest-ranking individual. Apart from
ensuring the unity of all the members of the community, it is
also the chief who oversees all economic activities in his or
her area of responsibility. It is the chief’s duty to implement a
redistributive system that allows goods to be fairly distributed
to his subjects; the use of surplus goods are also determined
by the chief (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, and McBride, 2008).
 Examples of chiefdoms are found in pre-colonial Philippine
societies ruled by the rajah or datu.
IV. STATES

 STATES – exists in a society with a large

population that resides in a clearly bounded
territory, stratified into different social classes,
and subjected to a formal government that
creates and implements laws to promote social
order. (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, and McBride,
2008).
 A centralized political unit that governs a large
population, with a hierarchy of differing
political positions and the power to enforce its
decisions.
AUTHORITY AND LEGITIMACY

 AUTHORITY – is the power to make

binding decisions and issue commands. What
makes authority binding and worthy of
obedience is legitimacy.
 LEGITIMACY – is a moral and ethical
concept that bestows one who possesses
power the right to authority.
 For authority to be binding and stable, it must
be legitimate.
THREE TYPES OF AUTHORITY

TRADITIONAL
 Legitimacy is derived from well-
established customs, habits, and
social structures. (Examples:
Monarchial rule or the rule of the
elites in a chiefdom)
THREE TYPES OF AUTHORITY

CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY
 legitimacy emanates from the
charisma of the individual, power
legitimated through extraordinary
personal abilities that inspire
devotion and obedience.
(Example: Jesus of Nazareth)
THREE TYPES OF AUTHORITY

RATIONAL TYPE
 This kind of authority draws its
legitimacy from formal rules
promulgated by the state through
its fundamental and implementing
laws. This is the most dominant
way of legitimizing authority in
modern states.