Philippine Politics: Political Science Discipline

• The study of government and constitution is part of political science.
• Understanding political science is important for grasping politics and governance in the Philippines.

Political Science as a Discipline

• Political science comes from the Greek word "polis" (city-state) and the Latin word "scire" (science or to know).
• Literally, political science is the study of the city-state.
• Aristotle is considered the Father of Political Science.
• Jean Bodin coined the term "political science".
• Political science is a social science that studies the state in its nature, form, organization, and development.
• It focuses on humans interacting with the government and its institutions.
• The main concern of political science is the association of people in a political community under government and law.

Fields of Political Science

• Political science covers the state, government, and politics, divided into areas of study.
• These areas include political theory/philosophy, public law, government, comparative government, international relations, public administration, public policy, political dynamics, government and business, legislature, and geopolitics.
• Political Theory studies the origins, forms, behaviors, and purposes of states and governments and is also known as political philosophy.
• Public Law focuses on the legal rules and principles governing states, governments, and their interactions with individuals.
• Government studies the structure and functions of national and local governments within a state.
• Comparative Government analyzes the similarities and differences between the macro-politics of different states and examines their branches, laws, political cultures, and traditions.
• International Relations studies the foreign policies of countries, international organizations, and international law.
• Public Administration deals with the management of government, including administrative organization, personnel, resource management, and public relations.
• Public Policy assesses and evaluates government policies in areas like education, defense, and health.
• Political Dynamics explores the societal forces that influence political decisions and actions, including political parties, pressure groups, public opinion, and propaganda.
• Government and Business examines the government's corporate or business functions and regulatory effects on the state's economy and is sometimes called political economy.
• Legislature focuses on the role of law-making bodies in rule-making and the politics behind legislation.
• Geopolitics analyzes the effects of population, resources, and physical environment on a country's local and international politics.

Understanding Politics

• Politics is the study of shaping and sharing power and also the study of power, influence, rulers, and authority.
• It is also the art and science of governance.
• Politics involves the capacity to protect public interests and the pursuit of political power to make binding policy decisions.
• Politics involves power, influence, authority, and rule and can be exercised in various ways, such as dictatorially, democratically, or consensually.
• Reasons for involvement in politics can be personal or organizational, and politics can be found everywhere: in families, schools, churches, governments, and workplaces.

Images of Politics in the Philippines

• Understanding politics in the Philippines requires knowledge of its various images.
• Boardroom politics involves decision-making by business executives with significant public consequences.
• Bureaucratic politics involves rule-making and adjudication by government bureaucrats.
• Congress politics involves policy-making by senators and congressmen that affects public and private interests.
• Chief executive politics is dominated by the President and local executives exercising discretionary power.
• Courtroom politics consists of orders and decisions made by legal professionals in response to interest groups.
• Multi-media politics refers to shaping public opinion via mass media.
• Faith-based politics pertains to decisions by religious leaders with political implications.
• Game of the general politics involves premeditated actions by police and military officers to change the political arena.
• Civil society politics involves lobbying by cause-oriented groups to influence government decisions.
• X-Men politics involves people who fix self-serving political decisions.

The Concept of Governance

• Governance is the exercise of political, economic, and administrative authority in managing a country.
• Good governance requires transparency, simple procedures, responsibility, fighting corruption, individual freedom, and an independent judicial system.
• Transparency of government is the need for people to be informed of the state's decisions and their reasons.
• Simplicity of procedures involves making administrative processes as easy as possible to avoid red tape and corruption.
• Responsibility involves ensuring public officials are accountable and punished for offenses.
• Fighting against corruption is necessary for healthy economic management.
• Individual freedom and collective expression are vital for safeguarding democracy.
• An independent judicial system is crucial for ensuring fair, reasonable, and objective court decisions.