Fundamentals20lecture201.pptx

UNIVERSIDAD DE MANILA CORE VALUES INSTITUTIONAL GOALS STRATEGIC DIRECTION PSC 111: FUNDAMENTALS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE At the end of the lesson, you are expected to : Identif y polit ic s & political scie nce Trace th...

UNIVERSIDAD DE MANILA CORE VALUES INSTITUTIONAL GOALS STRATEGIC DIRECTION PSC 111: FUNDAMENTALS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE At the end of the lesson, you are expected to : Identif y polit ic s & political scie nce Trace the development of political science Distinguish the methodologies of political science Identif y the branches of political science Describe the im por tance of politic al sc ience Illustrate the structural process of political science POLITICAL SCIENCE AS A DISCIPLINE Politics as a discipline is the heart of political science. It is the study of the affairs of the state. It is the study of power relationships among people in the society and among states in the international community Politics as a concept is about the culture of cooperation and differing conflicts. Politics is the middle ground to harmonize different concerns to achive consensus. Politics as a action exists when people build organization in the society where they live in HOW TO STUDY THE DIFFERENT OUTLOOKS OF POLITICS 1. Politics as consensus and compromise-the agreement of people in a group where there is the balancing of interests for a collective reason for their welfare 2. Politics as a society recognizes differing views, interests, conflicts & diversities in the society. 3. Politics as a power and the distribution of resources - power is the ability to achieve a desired outcome, thru whatever means 4. Politics as a public affairs is composed of institutions of the government which are directly involved in the conduct of state or public affairs 5. Politics as an art of government as it is concerned with the conduct & management of public affairs, resolving conflicts, & the use of resources for the welfare of the society DEFINITION OF POLITICS Politics is the exercise of power, the making of political decisions, the practice of deception and manipulation, the exercise of authority, the allocation of limited resources and so forth. It is a study that complements extreme powers and interests in the society. It is an art and a science in harmonizing both ends together in the name of consensus and compromise BASIC ISSUES IN POLITICS 1.Legitimacy Legitimacy in a broad sense means the attitude of the people about what they consider in mind that the government is a rightful ruler over them. Originally, legitimacy meant that the king or queen is the rightful throne on the basis of legitimate succession to authority. a. Government achieves legitimacy by existing a long time. Long established governments are generally well respected by their citizens. The two centuries old US Constitution confers a great deal of legitimacy on the US Government. b. Government achieves legitimacy by governing well. Ensuring economic growth, stability, high employment, providing protection from foreign invasion or domestic disturbance, and dispensing equal justice to all help governments to develop. c. Government achieves legitimacy by the structure of government. If people feel they are fully represented and have a say in the selection of officials, they are more likely to obey. People should therefore feel that they are likely represented in the government; and d. Government achieves legitimacy by manipulating national symbols. The national flag, historic monuments, patriotic parades, and ringing speeches are aimed at convincing people that the government is legitimate and should be obeyed. 2. Sovereignty While legitimacy concerns on the right of the government to rule, sovereignty refers to the right of a government or leadership to exist. Originally, the term sovereignty meant the right of the ruler usually a king or a monarch to rule over his people or the kingdom. 3. Authority It is the power of the leader to rule and the power to exact obedience on his people. Hence, authority is based on an acknowledged duty to obey rather than any form of coercion or manipulation.  THE STUDY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE Politics as Academics Politics is also an academic subject. Originally regarded as a branch of philosophy, history or law. Its main principle was to discover the purpose upon which human society should be based. Politics as Science Politics is not only an art as to what concerns a state. The study of politics is scientific because it is possible to acquire objectives and knowledge about political reality and the complicated world about it by characterizing facts from values. THE GROWTH OF POLITICAL SCIENCE Politics comes from the Greek word “polis”, which means a city or a state. According to Aristotle, “man is by nature an animal intended to live in a polis”. Science is a Latin word for “scire” which literally means to know in English. Therefore, science came to mean as any body of systematic knowledge about a well-defined area of inquiry. Thus, man’s knowledge of the natural, physical and social environment has developed through the times by sharp observation of things surrounding him THE NATURE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE Political Science is a marriage between power and knowledge. It is a systematic study of a state and its government, with the relationship of men in the community, with relations of men and groups to the state itself, and with the relations of other sovereign states abroad. Political Science is neither a pure science nor a physical science. Political Scientists may sometimes be called “interpretivists” or behavioralists. METHODOLOGY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE Political Scientists do not have a unanimous consensus with respect to the numbers of methods in the study of political science. Some of them just avail in only a few in order to justify each claim that one’s work is exhaustive and comprehensive. HISTORICAL METHOD A political scientist interprets probable political circumstances, phenomena or situations on the basis of his appreciation of facts, their historical precedents that is largely sharpened by his keen observation and evaluation of the political environment COMPARATIVE METHOD A political scientist uses comparative approach in establishing correlations of institutional factors working hand-in-hand with the state that affect a political phenomena in understanding the science of politics. SCIENTIFIC METHOD It refers to the formulation of general theory based on tested hypothesis which are derived from organized patterns of systematically arranged and collected relevant facts to a political problem. There are various techniques to discover and gather the needed facts: (a) reporting (b) statistical method (c) sampling and polling techniques. INDUCTIVE METHOD A political scientist or analyst may draw his political generalization on useful theories or insightful doctrines from basic or given facts. Thus, such generalization can be applied in understanding effectively the existence of a particular political situation. DEDUCTIVE METHOD A political scientist may deduce particular conclusions or explanations from probable yet steady premises in interpreting or appreciating a given political situation. THEORETICAL METHOD The theoretical method is the study of politics by using political theories of ancient philosophers as models of understanding. Political thoughts are capable of influencing the political behavior of other people. OBSERVATION METHOD A Political Scientist may employ the working of one’s critical observation of a political situation, and interprets it based on the philosophical reflection (phronesis). The analyst is also guided by any changes in the political system, processes and dynamics that may introduce remarkable twist or shift from the present status quo of the state. BEHAVIORAL METHOD It is the study into what men actually do and the meaning they attached to their behavior rather than into what men ought to do and how they ought to act. APPROACHES IN POLITICAL SCIENCE 1. Political Economy It refers broadly to the systematic production, utilization, and distribution of scarce economic resources by a state to the people in order to maximize their needs and wants in the most effective and efficient way the government may deem appropriate. 2. Public Choice Theory This approach considers what the people prefer, and what they chose as option over other ones. This strategy would help determination of a government policy as to where it should focus that is based on public preference. 3. Rational Choice Theory It considers an individual as an abstract model. It purports to overestimate human rationality in that it ignores the fact that people seldom possess a clear set of preferred goals and rarely make decisions in the light of full and accurate knowledge. BRANCHES AND FIELDS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE 1. Public Law 2. Political Theory 3. International Relations 4. Public Administration 5. Political Philosophy 6. Political Dynamics 7. Comparative Government GOALS AND IMPORTANCE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE The primary goal of the political science curriculum is education for citizenship. The preparation of students for career related job is secondary to the function of enabling them to perform the obligations of citizenship under democratic society. 1. Knowledge Based The study of political science provides the students the knowledge and understanding of a government, with all its component curricula like public law, political theory, public administration, political philosophy and political dynamics such as party groups including interest and pressure groups. 2. Competence Based The primary characteristics of political science are to inculcate the objectives and underlying principles of the state that should be abided by not only officials but the citizens as well. 3. Skill Based Political science as a field of study prepares the students for future career path, be it in a legal profession, government service, politics, teaching, and many more. The test of political science makes the citizens responsible, participative, action oriented, law abiding, in keeping with their duties as vanguards of our democratic socities towards harnessing their roles as real agents of the state. STRUCTURAL PROCESS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE 1. Executive Process Executive process entails knowledge, competence, and skills in running and managing the powers and function of a state. The Chief Executive being the central personality in the government assumes the responsibility of administering the laws faithfully. Laws that are formulated or made by the Congress. 2. Legislative Process Legislative Process represents the lawmaking organ of a state. It involves the understanding of somehow complicated process of legislation that must be geared always at the survival interest of a state, its people, and the needs of the country in relation to international communities. The effectiveness of legislative works clearly depends on the ruling parties of the law-making body, which may be under bicameral or unicameral set-up. 3. Legal and Judicial Process The judicial power covers the interpretation, enforcement, and administration of the different laws of the land in respect to the Constitution as they affect the operations of government machineries, relationship among the people, the seeming conflicts between the different laws of the land, social and business activities and such other related matterse which regulate business, socio-economic and political activities of the different political entities.