POLITICS
• No politics exists if there is one
person
• Study of the influenced and
influential; the powerful and the
powerless
• Unless there is a purpose for an act
of the powerful the powerless
would not comply
• Attempt to influence the people
• Can be defined by 2
charachteristics
ο Making a common decision for
the common good
ο Use of power in making a
common decision
• “Man is by nature is a political
animal”-ARISTOTLE
ο We homosapiens have the
highest level of discernment by
or nature therefore we are
above the lower species and we
are the influential species
among the animal kingdom
GOVERNANCE
• Act of governing; regulation of
policies
• Exercise of authority and control
• In the process of governance there
is an interplay if government, civil
society & business sector
POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Study of the “polis” greek for State
• Basic knowledge of and
understanding of state and of the
principles and ideals which
underlie its organization and
activities
• Concerned w/ association of people
into a political community
organized under government and
law
• Deals with relationship among men
regarding control of state and
international relations
SCOPE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Political Theory
ο Study of past doctrines from
origin, behavior and purposes
of the state
• Public Law
o Organization, limitrations,
power and obligations of the
govt.
• Public Administration
o Methods & techniques used
to manage state affairs by 3
branches of the govt.
• International Relations
• Pressure Groups & Political
Parties
FIELDS OF SCIENCE RELATED TO
POLITICS
• History
o Study of the past at diff.
political theories
o Relies on past theories
o “history repeats itself”
o “history is past politics and
politics present history”
o Knowledge of the past to
interpret the present and
predict developments in the
future
• Economics
o Allocation of scarce
resources; budgeting for
diff. branch of government
o Economic conditions affect
the govt.
• Geography
o Geopolitics; study of
influence of the diff.
physical factors
• Sociology & Anthropology
o Concerned with the origins
and nature of social control
and governmental authority
with the influence of race
and culture upon society
• Psychology
o Study of the behavior of
man
o Study of mental and
emotional processes
motivating the political
behavior
• Philosophy
o Concepts and doctrines of
philosophers are underlying
concepts that affect
constitutions and laws
• Statistics & Logic
o Knowledge of current
political problems and
gathering and evaluating
data in drawing political
conclusions
o Statistical procedures for
quantitative measurement
of social phenomena
o Logical procedures for
analysis of reasoning
• Jurisprudence
o Analysis of legal systems
and the ethical, historical,
sociological and
physiological foundations of
law
FUNCTIONS & IMPORTANCE OF
POLITICAL SCIENCE
• To discover principles to be
adhered to in public affairs
• To study the operations of govt. to
demonstrate what is good and
 criticize and resolve what is bad to
improve
• Finding and conclusions help
legislators, executives and judges
• To serve as models and norms that
can be applied to political
situations
• deals with the problems of social
welfare, govt. economic programs,
international relations and matters
of concern to public officials and
private citizens
GOAL IN THE STUDY OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE COURSE
• Education for citizenship
• Essential parts of liberal education
• Knowledge and understanding of
government
STATE
• is the formal institution in which a
political community is organized
under a government.
• A community of persons, more or
less occupying a definite portion of
territory, independent of external
control and possessing organized
government which the great body
of inhabitants render habitual
obedience or sovereignity to exact
• To exact power exhibit authority
people should follow given policies
and for noncompliance there are
consequences and penalties
THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF STATES
• The Natural Theory
o man’s urge toward being
part of the community.
• The Force Theory
o one person or group forced
all people within an area to
obey their rule. It happens
through war, where the
strong dominated the weak.
• The Divine Theory
o God created the state, and
that He gave certain people
the “divine right” to govern
these lands.
• The Divine Right of Kings
Theory
o spiritual power was given
to certain as sovereigns of
the state and thus absolute
power of his subjects.
• The Social Contract Theory
o the state is essentially a
contract between the leader
• External waters
and the people.
• The Patriarchal Theory-
o the father head of the
family. The family is the first
constituent of society.
ELEMENTSOF THE STATE
1.) Territory- a state cannot exist
without territory. Territory refers to
land, surrounding water up to 3
nautical miles, as well as the air
above the land and water. Nomadic
• Aerial territory
settlements did not possess any
permanent territory. Hence, they
cannot be called a state.
• Territory waters
o Rivers
 National – jurisdiction falss w/in a
2.) Population- a state fundamentally
state
 International – no one owns
 Boundary – 2 countries separated
by river
• If navigable; division in the
middle
• If no navigable; determine
middle part of navigable part;
case to case basis
 Multinational
• Like in the boundary but close
to the state
o Lakes
 National – w/in state territory
 If lake is bordered by diff. states
compromise must be reached
o Gulfs – large bodies of water
indented to a state
 If mouth of gulf is less than 24 nm
national
 If wider and surrounded by other
countries compromise
o Bass – like gulfs
o Canals
 National if w/in or under a state
 Fronted by diff countries
compromise
o Straits-like canals
o 12 nm from shore area to sea
o Merchant ships have right of
innocent passage unlike
military ships
o Methods to measuring external
waters
 Normal baseline method
• Measuring 12 nm
 Straight line baseline method
• For archipelagos
o High seas – no one has claim;
FREE
o No international agreement
o Practice is “as far as you can protect”
comprises of a permanent
population over which it exercises
its unlimited authority. The nature
of the state depends upon the
quality and quantity of its
population. No ideal size of
population can be stated. Aristotle
stated “A population must be large
enough to be self sufficient, but
small enough to be well-governed.”
 A good population makes a good • Supreme power of the state to
state; a bad one, a bad state. command & enforce obedience to
its will from the people
3.) Sovereignty- it is the soul of a • Types of state sovereignity
state. It implies that the state is o Legal-supreme authority in law
independent from external and constitution
interference, as well as can o Political-expressed by
maintain integrity within itself. electorate
India could not be referred to as a o Popular-supreme authority of
State Nation citizens
STATE NATION o De Facto- vested on a group
state is a political nation is an who have succeeded in
construct. A state ethnic displacing a legitimate
has defined construct. It sovereign
borders, a describes a o De Jure- supreme legal
population to rule, people with authority of state based on
a government that a common supremacy of the law
controls it, heritage, • Charachteristics
sovereignty over common o Absolute-beyond question
its own affairs (in language o Universal- no exemptions
other words, the and o Perpetual-lasts as long as the
government isn’t customs, a state
held hostage by an shared o Indivisible-exercise is divisible
occupying army), history o Inalienable-always present
and an ability to
If a state is populated by one nation, it is a
carry out foreign
nation-state. Portugal is a good example,
policy.
Iceland is another, Japan is third
A state, then, is an A nation is, 4.) Government- it is a body of a few
independent broadly, a people who administer the An overwhelming majority if the
country. distinct population and are meant to population identifies itself with one nation,
ethnic express the will of the state. The and so the state has a unified culture. The
group. government has limited power, as USA is an excellent counter-example,
Political concept Ethnic opposed to the state’s unlimited because of the many heritages and
concept authority. The government is nationalities (Irish, German, Dutch, Polish,
Not subject to May or may subject to change and is bound to Korean, many Native American nations,
external conditions not be obey will of the people as well as many African nations, and countless other
independen state. To equate the Government groups.
t with State is a dangerous, yet
Consists of nations Consists of common mistake. A nation can also be spread over
state several states. For example, the Kurdish
state prior to 1947, as it did not STATE DISTINGUISHED FROM A nation is concentrated in northern Iraq,
have an independent government. NATION but also in eastern Turkey, northern Syria,
• Power of the state; independence and even Iran and Azerbaijan. The Kurds
are also called a “stateless nation”,
because theirs is a nationality with no
homeland to call their own. For another • The right of proper jurisdiction i. Direct/pure – will of state
example, the German nation is • The right of legation or diplomatic expressed through open mass
predominant in Germany (but plenty of intercourse meetings; no medium delegates
other peoples live there, too), but it is also or representatives to express will
found in Austria, Liechtenstein, STATE DISTINGUISHED FROM of the people
Switzerland, and Luxembourg. GOVERNMENT ii. Indirect, representative or
• acts of the govt. are the acts of Republican – will of the people
Sometimes, a state may contain the state and vice versa voiced and enacted by select
two nations in similar proportions. • govt. is the only agency which representatives
Belgium, for example, is populated by the the state expresses its will
Walloons and the Flemings (who live 2. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
• no state if there is no govt
predominantly in the south and the north EXECUTIVE & LEGISLATIVE POWERS
• there can be a government
of the country, respectively). Sometimes a. Parliamentary
even if there is no state
there is considerable strife between such •2 heads ; monarch & prime minister
groups, as they argue about the • a govt. may change its form but
a state as long as its four •Fusion of powers
languages on government documents and
elements exist, remains •Cabinet members part of the
the like. Governing such countries can
unchanged parliament
sometimes be a difficult balancing act.
•Question hour
GOVERNMENT b. Presidential
INHERENT POWERS OF THE STATE
• aggregate of institutions that rule •One head – president
1.) Police Power- is the power of the
state to regulate freedoms and society •Separation of powers – CM, congress
property rights of individuals for • institution exercises sovereignty •No question hour
the protection of public safety,
health, and morals or the PURPOSE OF THE GOVERNMENT 3. DISTRUBUTION OF
promotion of the public • announcement of public welfare POWER BETWEEN CENTRAL &
convenience and general • consequence of absence LOCAL GOVT.
prosperity. a. Federal Government
2.) Eminent Domain- is the power to • Powers of the govt. divided bet.
take private property for public use CLASSIFICATIONS FORMS OF National and local affairs
upon payment of just GOVERNMENT • Diff. states
compensation, public utilities, 1. # OF RULERS & KIND OF o Federal states – w/in
napocor, transportation-lrt, mrt RULERSHIP power of whole state
3.) Power of Taxation- is the power # of Good Bad
of the state to impose tax on rulers
individuals and properties to
1 Monarch Tyranny
support the government. y
Few Aristocra
Oligarch
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE
a. Monarchy cy y
STATE
i. Absolute - ruler by divine right Many Polity Democra
• The right of existence and self-
ii. Limited – ruler accdg to law cy
defense
b. Aristocracy/Oligarchy – privileged Democra Mobocra
• The right of sovereignty and cy cy
independence class rules
c. Democracy – ruled by the people o Local states –
• The right of equality independent
 b. Unitary Government
• Control of national and local affairs
under central govt.
4. MANNER OF DECISION
MAKING
Democracy – people decide
b. Dictatorship – power to enact,
implement, the executive,
legislative and judicial powers lies
on one ruler
Aristocracy
• Few prominent citizens rule
• Greek “rule of the best”
• Concept from ancient Greece
Democracy
• Governing power from the people
either by concensus, direct
referendum or elction
• “rule of the people” demokratia
demos-people kratos-power greek
• Equality and freedom are important
qualities
Ochlocracy or Mobocracy
• Power through intimidation of
legitimate authorities
• Democracy spoiled by tyranny of
the majority and rule of passion
over reason
Oligarchy
• a form of power structure in which
power effectively rests with a
small number of people
• tyrannical throughout history,
being completely reliant on public
servitude to exist
Parliamentary Government
• is a legislature, especially in those
countries whose system of
government is based on the
Westminster system modeled after hereditary monarch (or
that of the United Kingdom representative thereof such as a
• body of people (in an institutional Governor-General), often seen in a
sense) who would meet to discuss constitutional monarchy
matters of state Polity
• Legislatures called parliaments • is a state or one of its subordinate
operate under a parliamentary civil authorities, such as a province,
system of government in which the prefecture, county, municipality,
executive is constitutionally city, or district
answerable to the parliament • It is generally understood to mean
• Parliaments may consist of a geographic area with a
chambers or houses, and are corresponding government.
usually either bicameral or • Thomas Hobbes considered bodies
unicameral although more complex politic in this sense in Leviathan
models exist, or have existed • In previous centuries, body politic
was also understood to mean "the
physical person of the sovereign"
(in monarchies and despotisms, the
emperor, king, or dictator, and, in
Parliamentary System republics, the electorate).
• is a system of government in which Today, it may also refer to a
the ministers of the executive representation of the ethnic or
branch are drawn from the gender demographics of a region;
legislature and are accountable to for example, in many liberal
that body, such that the executive democracies, cabinets are chosen
and legislative branches are to represent the body politic.
intertwined
• head of government is both de
facto chief executive and chief
legislator
• characterized by no clear-cut
separation of powers between the
executive and legislative branches,
leading to a different set of checks
and balances compared to those
found in presidential systems
• have a clear differentiation
between the head of government
and the head of state, with the
head of government being the
prime minister or premier, and the
head of state often being a
figurehead, usually either a
president (elected either popularly
or by the parliament) or a