PAD122 Introduction and Study Unit 1 PDF

INTRODUCTION Module: PAD122 Lecturer: Dr M Mangai Tutors: Reamogetse Motlonye Thabang Masango MODULE OUTCOMES By the end of this module you should be able to do the following: Differentiate between different forms of government and explain the system of government in South Africa Discuss the co...

INTRODUCTION Module: PAD122 Lecturer: Dr M Mangai Tutors: Reamogetse Motlonye Thabang Masango MODULE OUTCOMES By the end of this module you should be able to do the following: Differentiate between different forms of government and explain the system of government in South Africa Discuss the composition and functioning of the three branches of government Explain intergovernmental relations and cooperative government in South African context Describe the functioning of the three spheres of government Discuss the state institutions supporting constitutional democracy in South Africa IMPORTANT DATES Sessions Thursdays Tutorials – 12:30-13:30 Mondays 16:30- 17:20 – Centenary 3 Wednesdays 14:30-15:20 – Centenary 2 Assessment dates: See study guide for assessment dates. CONTACT DETAILS AND OTHER INFORMATION Grievances and escalation process to be followed PLEASE FOLLOW THE PROCEDURE AND DO NOT SEND YOUR COMPLAINT TO ALL PARTIES MENTIONED HERE SIMULTANEOUSLY. THIS IS AN ESCALATION PROCESS! All emails from the EMS Faculty and University of Pretoria will be sent to you at your UP-email address. It is assumed that any emails sent to this UP-email address, will be read by yourself. You are strongly advised to check this email address at least twice a day and EMS proposes that you do this during the course of the morning and again before the close of business. Announcements relating specifically to PAD122 will be posted on ClickUP. While every effort may be made to communicate with you through other available channels, you are deemed to have read any announcements posted on ClickUP. It is also strongly advised that you check ClickUP at least twice a day and EMS proposes that you do this during the course of the morning and again before the close of business. EXPECTATIONS Engagement from the class Respect for one another 100% lecture attendance 100% tutorial attendance 100% pass rate. PS. Plagiarism is an offence so please consult the SPMA guide when compiling your assignments to avoid the penalties. IMPORTANT WEBSITES South African constitution – https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/images/a108-96.pdf. Parliamentary - National legislature (Parliament) | South African Government (www.gov.za) Executive - Executive Authority (President, Cabinet and Deputy Ministers) | South African Government (www.gov.za) 100% lecture attendance 100% tutorial attendance 100% pass rate. PS. Plagiarism is an offence so please consult the SPMA guide when compiling your assignments to avoid the penalties. TEACHING PHILOSOPHY Empowerment: I focus on enabling students to take control of their learning and future. This involves encouraging them to make decisions, solve problems, and apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios. Empowering students can build their confidence and help them feel more invested in their educational journey. Inclusivity: By prioritizing inclusivity, I ensure that all students, regardless of their background, abilities, or identities, have access to the same learning opportunities. This involves adapting teaching methods to cater to diverse learning styles and needs, and creating a classroom environment where all students feel valued and understood. Practical Engagement: Emphasizes learning by doing, which aligns with progressive educational practices. By integrating practical activities and real-world applications into your teaching, you help students see the relevance of their studies and enhance their engagement and retention of knowledge. No One is a Dull Student: This belief reflects a deep commitment to recognizing and nurturing the potential in every student. It challenges the traditional notions of fixed intelligence and abilities, promoting a growth mindset where all students are capable of learning and excelling if given the right support and opportunities. Everyone Has an Equal Chance to Succeed: This principle ties closely with inclusivity and empowerment. We Go Together: This is a communal approach to education, where the success of the group is as important as individual achievements. It fosters a sense of community and collaboration among students, encouraging them to support each other's learning and celebrate each other's successes. This collective approach can be particularly motivating and reduce feelings of competition or isolation among students. TEACHING PHILOSOPHY Your teaching philosophy focuses on empowerment, inclusivity, and practical engagement, ensuring every student feels capable and supported. You believe in the potential of every individual, asserting that no one is inherently dull and everyone deserves an equal chance to succeed. Emphasizing collaboration, your approach adopts the motto "we go together," fostering a sense of community and collective achievement in the classroom. This philosophy nurtures not just academic skills but also personal growth and teamwork. PAD122 Study Unit One WHAT IS A STATE? No agreed upon definition of the state, but different definitions place emphasis on “the means” or “the ends” of the states. Means related include definitions from Max Weber and Charles Tilly who define the state according to its violent means. This definition emphases 3 key elements Max Weber definition:- a "state" is a polity that maintains a monopoly on the legitimate use of force within a certain territory. Monopoly on violence: The state is the only entity that can legitimately wield force to maintain order and enforce laws. Legitimacy: The state's use of force is regarded as legitimate by its citizens. Territoriality: The state's authority extends over a defined geographic area. WHAT IS A STATE? Definition: Charles Tilly defined the state as a "coercion-wielding organization" that is distinct from other kinds of organizations due to its ability to impose authority, maintain order, and provide public goods. Charles Tilly:- state is a coercion-wielding organization that carries out the following activities:  War making: eliminating rivals or potential external threats outside of its own territories.  State making: eliminating internal rival forces and insurgents from within its own territories.  Protection: eliminating potential threats to their population.  Extraction: securing the means to execute the previous three activities, such as the collection of taxes or revenue. CONT.…. With regards to the ends-related definitions, emphasis is on the aims and purpose of the state. Key theories were the Marxist that see the state as a partisan instrument that primarily serves the interests of the upper class (bourgeoisie). "the executive of the modern state is nothing but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie“ (the communist manifesto) CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STATE Permanent population Territory – defined borders Government Sovereignty The State - Meaning, Definition & Elements (youtube.com) AFRICAN STATES  4 SCENARIOS STATES COULD DISSAPPERED/MERGE Taiwan to China North and South Korea Indonesia islands United Kingdom Ukraine to Russian East Africa Federation The Solomon Island Spain United Africa Belgium WHAT IS A GOVERNMENT The government is the set of people and organizations that hold and exercise the executive, legislative, and judicial powers of the state. It is a temporary institution that changes through elections, appointments, or other political processes. Government is a subset of the state. It is made up of formal institutions and processes through which decisions are made. The government is responsible for making and enforcing laws, managing the state's resources, and providing services to the populace. It operates within the framework set by the state. CONTINUE… Main components of a government include: People: elected officials & public servants who carry out gov. business Power: Legislative to make laws; Executive to carry out laws; Judicial to interpret laws Policy: Decision made by government in pursuit of a goal; can be a law, a gov. program, or a set of gov. actions WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STATE AND GOVERNMENT The government is the set of people and organizations that hold and exercise the executive, legislative, and judicial powers of the state. It is a temporary institution that changes through elections, appointments, or other political processes. State is a permanent and static thing whereas government is temporary. For example, South Africa will always be a State till the four elements are present but the GNU government will come and go out of power. The State is a universal institution having one single form with its four essential characteristics. But governments are of different types and they may vary from the State to the State. The State is generally composed of all citizens but all of them are not members of the government. FORMS OF GOVERNMENT Democratic and Non-Democratic forms of governments Democratic Governments Direct democracy is a form of democracy in which people vote on policy initiatives directly. Representative democracy is a variety of democracy founded on the principle of elected people representing a group of people. Constitutional democracy - a form of government in which the sovereign power of the people is spelled out in a governing constitution. FORMS OF GOVERNMENT Key Differences: Direct democracy: Citizens have direct control over decisions and laws. Representative democracy: Citizens control the government through elected representatives. Constitutional democracy: A form of representative democracy where a constitution limits government powers and protects certain fundamental rights. FORMS OF GOVERNMENT Non-Democratic forms of governments An authoritarian An autocracy Totalitarianism Monarchy Junta/military government NON-DEMOCRATIC FORMS OF GOVERNMENT 1. Authoritarianism Authoritarianism is a broad category of governance characterized by a strong central power and limited political freedoms. Individual freedoms are subordinate to the state and there is no constitutional accountability under an authoritarian regime. Political opposition is often suppressed, and there is little to no room for public voice. 2. Autocracy Autocracy is a form of government in which supreme power (social and political) is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject to neither external legal restraints nor regularized mechanisms of popular control (except perhaps for the threat of a coup or uprising). Autocracy can be seen as a more specific form of authoritarianism, often personalized around a single leader. 3. Totalitarianism Totalitarianism is an extreme version of authoritarianism. It involves an attempt to mobilize entire populations in support of an official state ideology and aims to control all aspects of public and private life. Totalitarian governments do not tolerate activities by individuals or groups such as corporations or churches that are independent of governmental supervision and control. They typically maintain power through widespread surveillance, propaganda, and the suppression of dissent. NON-DEMOCRATIC FORMS OF GOVERNMENT 4. Monarchy Monarchy is a form of government in which a group, generally a family representing a dynasty, embodies the country's national identity, and its head, the monarch, exercises the role of sovereignty. Monarchies can be either absolute or constitutional: Absolute Monarchy: The monarch has almost complete power, and there is no or a very weak constitution. Constitutional Monarchy: The monarch’s powers are regulated by a constitution, and they often serve as a ceremonial figurehead while actual political power rests in other organs of the state. 5. Military Government or Junta A military government or junta is a form of rule in which the military controls the power, often coming to power through a coup d'état. Military regimes are typically authoritarian or totalitarian and may be led by a committee of military leaders who dictate government policies without effective constitutional constraints. These Countries COULD BREAK UP, Here’s Why (youtube.com) SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT Unitary System A state within which all authority is concentrated within a central/national government and where the other levels are seen as subordinate to the central/national government (Mahler 1995:30). Final decision-making remains with the central/national government (Fox and Meyer 1995:132). The subnational governments in a unitary state may make and implement policy but that they do so under the watchful eye of the central/national government (Hague and Harrop (1987:176). When a state is labelled as being a unitary state, it implies that sovereignty (constitutional authority) is vested in a central/national government. UNITARY SYSTEM IN A NUTSHELL WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES TO A UNITARY SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT? Advantages Disadvantages Single and decisive legislative. Slow government response. For example, there are no state National Easy management of the economy Guard that could be dispatched in emergency, troops would have to be mobilized from national authority. Can easily loose track on local issues Bureaucratic SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT Federal system Power is constitutionally divided between a central/national government and governments of the constituent states/provinces (Fox and Meyer 1995:49). The federal system of government refers to a system of legal and administrative relationships between units of government (intergovernmental relations) which have real authority and jurisdictional autonomy. Federalism allows for both the expression of regional goals and a coordinated expression of national goals (Mahler 1995:31). A constitution is federal if two levels of government rule in the same land and people, each level has at least one area of action in which it is autonomous and there is some guarantee (even though merely a statement in the constitution) of the autonomy of each government in its own sphere (Riker 1964:11). FEDERAL SYSTEM IN A NUTSHELL WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND THE DISADVANTAGES OF FEDERALISM? Advantages Disadvantages Provincial government are in a better Overlapping of work and subsequent position to understand local problems and confusion regarding who is responsible for offer unique solutions for them. what. Federalism offers representation to The federal system of government is very different populations. expensive as more people are elected to office, both at the state and the center, than State governments have the freedom to necessary. adopt policies which may not be followed nationally or by any other state. Unnecessary competition between different regions. Division of work between the central and the regional governments leads to optimum Regional inequalities. utilization of resources. FEDERAL SYSTEM IN A NUTSHELL FOOD FOR THOUGHT IS SOUTH AFRICA A FEDERAL STATE OR A UNITARY STATE?  CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW QUICK QUIZ - MENTIMETER HTTPS://WWW.MENTI.COM/ALN1NBGSRADH