Intro to Politics & Governance

I.
A. Politics
- the activities, actions, and policies that are used to gain and hold power in a government or to
influence a government.
- the art or science of government.
B. How politics can be studied
- through Political Science, the study of governments and political behavior, procedures and
policies.
C. Governance:
- the process whereby societies or organizations make their important decisions, determine who
has voice, who is engaged in the process and how account is rendered. (IOG, 2006)

II.
1. Politics - the activities, actions, and policies that are used to gain and hold power in a government
or to influence a government.

2. Political science - a systematic study of state and government

- Comes from the Greek word “polis” meaning, “city” or equivalent to sovereign city and Latin
word “scire” meaning, to know

- Deals with those relations among men and groups which are subject to control by the State
2.1 Scope of Political Science
1. Political Theory - Entire body of doctrines relating to the energy, form,
behavior and purpose of the state are dealt in the study of this subject.
2. Public Law - The organization of governments, limitations upon government
authority, powers and duty of the government offices and officers and the obligation of
one state to another are handled in the study of Public Law.
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.
2.2 Function 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.
 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.

2.3 Goal in the Study of Political Science

1. Education for Citizenship
2. Essential Parts of Liberal Education
3. Knowledge and understanding of government

3. Governance - the process whereby societies or organizations make their important decisions,
determine who has voice, who is engaged in the process and how account is rendered. (IOG,
2006)

4. Political Ideologies - a set of related beliefs about political theory and policy held by an Commented [KG1]: Henlo kung sino man nagbabasa neto
individual, group of individuals or a particular social class. sorry di ko na to na summarize hehe

Examples:
• Anarchism
Is an anti-state, asserting that all hierarchical power structures are corrupt. Anarchism is
similar to Communism in the desirability of the destruction of the state and socioeconomic
classes--the difference, however, is that there is no temporary 'lower stage', or Dictatorship of the
Proletariat.
Anarchism does not mean chaos; rather it implies localized direct, participatory forms of
governance which should challenge whatever forms are agreed upon by those directly affected. In
this sense, anarchism might be described as a form of 'ultra-democracy', with the total absence of
elements such as centralism, remote representation or entrenched power bases or systems.

• Absolutism - A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a
constitution or laws).

• Communism

Communism derives in the most part from the works of Marx & Engels. However, it
must be noted that Marx's vision of 'communism' and what emerged as 'Communism' are often in
fundamental conflict. (The majority of people see Communism as a Stalinist power-hungry
regime, which is the model 'communism' took in practice for most of the past century. This is
partially wrong with regard to the ideology itself, as there are a few factions within Communism.)

Communism is the result of the process by which workers, the proletariat, overthrow their
capitalist and bourgeois masters and take control of the means of production. The producers become
the owners of their production.
• Conservatism
Conservatism emerged in response to the rise of liberalism and the liberal challenge to
absolutism and social hierarchy based on privilege. Conservatism emphasized a 'natural order' based
on tradition and slow evolutionary change. The hierarchical nature of society was seen as part of an
evolving order, in which institutions adapt gradually with the times. European conservatism originally
supported the fitness of a monarch and aristocracy to rule,since these institutions were seen to have
developed over a long period and to be important for social stability. Conservatism still tends to resist
radical change, however its goals have changed. Conservatism today opposes state control of activities
that have traditionally been matters for the family and individual responsibility.

• Environmentalism
Environmentalism (or ecologism) is an ideology which rejects the human-centered core of
other political theories and emphasizes instead the priorities of the biosphere. It sees humanity as only
one part of an interrelated web of life, which incorporates the living planet itself. Environmentalism
stresses that current human economic and political activity has come with an unacceptable 'price tag' of
environmental damage and irreparable harm. It advocates a radical directional change in humanity's
view of 'progress' based on economic expansionism and sees a 'higher morality' of living in harmony
with nature, reducing human consumption and accepting a consequent altering of living standards.
As environmental crises such as global warming and depletion of fossil fuels have become
more evident, environmental ideology has featured more significantly in political parties in Western
nations, particularly in Australia, where the first 'green parties' emerged, and Europe, where they have
experienced significant electoral successes.

• Fascism Commented [KG2]:

Fascism is a less rational theory of ideas than it is a recipe for power and political
opportunism. Fascism emerged in the context of post-World War I economic difficulties and social
crisis and articulated a rejection of liberalism and parliamentary rule as 'failures'. It also articulated a
rejection of communism as a further direct threat to the middleclass groups that had felt severely the
impact of those economic and social difficulties. In their places, fascism emphasized 'strong'
leadership, appealing to a long tradition of autocracy prior to recent and allegedly 'failed' democratic
regimes. The ideology is nationalist, authoritarian, militaristic, (somewhat) socialist and action-based
rather than theory-based. War, expansionism and totalitarian controls of the populace are all justifiable
in terms of power.

• Liberalism
1. Individualism - individual freedoms, in a civil society.
2. Classic Liberalism - Including natural rights, utilitarianism, economic liberalism and
social Darwinism. Emerged alongside the rise of capitalism to reflect the political
interests of the burgeoning middle classes. During the transition between absolute
monarchies to constitutional governments, liberalism articulated the rights of those
outside the traditional power structure to freedom from arbitrary rule and economic
restrictions.
3. Modern Liberalism - Including Freedom, Welfarism, and Keynesianism. Liberalism
first developed a welfare agenda in response to the rampant social inequality and misery
that emerged in the wake of the industrial revolution and in response to the articulation of
rival ideologies such as socialism.

• Nationalism
Nationalism is a belief, creed or political ideology that involves an individual identifying
with, or becoming attached to, one's nation. Nationalism involves national identity, by contrast with the
related construct of patriotism, which involves the social conditioning and personal behaviors that
support a state's decisions and actions.
 • Socialism
In its early forms, socialism was a reaction against the stark inequality and misery produced
by the Industrial Revolution and emerging capitalist economies, where those with property had
political voice but those without were open to exploitation and oppression. Though many somehow
confuse communism and socialism, they are two different things.
Socialism is concerned with welfare of the people, and as such is concerned with providing
healthcare and education and the provision of other necessities of a healthy life in order to create a
more 'level' society. The reasons for nationalization of industry and other aspects of society vary
depending on the specific socialist system. Communism also has these goals in mind, but is very anti-
capitalistic in nature. Unlike communism, one of the corner stones of socialism is to have the state own
all capital and natural resources within its sovereign territory. This means that the people being
represented by the government, will control everything and thus social classes would be greatly
undermined or eliminated altogether (a Communist ideal). So, increasing education so that people may
properly elect representatives, providing high-quality media that is untainted by private interests, and
reducing apathy are often socialistic goals.
The main difference between Communism and Socialism are that Socialists seek change
through government. Communists feel this is slow, this is reflected by Marx in his books, and thus the
need for revolution, which would let them quickly change things. Marx argued that the powerful had
never, throughout history, willingly relinquished their power and that revolution would be necessary to
overthrow capitalism. History has many examples by which socialists have achieved change, and many
countries have a democratic socialist party in power.

5. Power - A revolutionary government being a direct creation of the people, derives its powers
from the people to whom alone it is accountable.
5.1 Inherent Powers of Government
1. Power of Eminent Domain - power of the state to take private property for public use
upon paying the owner just compensation.
2. Police Power - power of the state to enact laws and regulations in relation to person
and property as may promote public health, public morals, public safety, and general welfare of
the people.
3. Power of Taxation - power of the state to impose charge or burden upon persons,
property, or property rights for the use and support of the government and to enable it to
discharge its appropriate functions.
6. States:
- A community of persons more or less numerous, permanently occupying a definite portion of
territory and having a government of their own to which the body of inhabitants render
obedience, and enjoying freedom from external control
Philippines is a state.
6.1 Elements of State
1. People - mass of population living within the state.
2. Territory - includes not only the land but also the rivers and lakes therein, a certain
area of the sea which abuts upon its coast and the air space above it.
3. Government - refers to the agency through which the will of the state is formulated,
expressed and carried out.
 6.2 Origin of State
1. Divine Right Theory - the state is of divine creation and the ruler is ordained by God.
2. Necessity or Force Theory - states must have been created through force.
3. Paternalistic Theory - attributes the origin of state to the enlargement of the family
which
remained under the authority of the father or mother.
4. Social Contract Theory - states must have been formed by deliberate and voluntary
compact
among the people to form a society and organize a government.

4. Sovereignty - the supreme power of the state to command and enforce obedience to its will from
people within its jurisdiction and to have freedom from foreign control.
Two Manifestations of Sovereignty
1. Internal - the power of state to rule within its territory
2. External - freedom of the state to carry out its activities without subjection to or control
by other state. It is often referred to as Independence.

7. Nations - is a group of people bound together by certain characteristics such as common social
origin, language, customs, and traditions.
7.1 State distinguished from Government
• STATE cannot exist without GOVERNMENT.
• It is possible to have a GOVERNMENT without a STATE.
• The STATE, as long as its essential element are present, remains the same.
• A GOVERNMENT may change its form.
• Government is only the agency to which the STATE expresses its will.

8. Globalization - the spread of products, technology, information, and jobs across national borders
and cultures. In economic terms, it describes an interdependence of nations around the globe
fostered through free trade.
Globalization is a social, cultural, political, and legal phenomenon.

• Socially, it leads to greater interaction among various populations.

• Culturally, globalization represents the exchange of ideas, values, and artistic expression
among cultures.
• Globalization also represents a trend toward the development of single world culture.
• Politically, globalization has shifted attention to intergovernmental organizations like
the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
• Legally, globalization has altered how international law is created and enforced.