Political Systems PDF

POLITICAL SYSTEM Political system, is the set of formal legal institutions that constitute a “government” or a “state.” Political system is a set of different institutions established politically, to ensure the free and fair distribution of resources within a given society. P...

POLITICAL SYSTEM Political system, is the set of formal legal institutions that constitute a “government” or a “state.” Political system is a set of different institutions established politically, to ensure the free and fair distribution of resources within a given society. Political systems are established to ensure the government is effective and smoothly running.  POLITICAL SYSTEM The political systems are formed with certain objectives, like determining who will be leaders, their roles, and critical responsibilities. Political systems are critical within the society, as they play significant roles in implementing policies, like health and education policies.  POLITICAL SYSTEM One of the major characteristics of the political system is that it enjoys the monopoly of using legitimate force to control its citizens and run their affairs. It also has the power to propose and implement policies that are beneficial to its people.  POLITICAL SYSTEM The Philippines’ political system takes place in an organized structure of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic wherein the president is both the head of government and the head of state within a multi-party system. This system has three co-dependent branches: the executive branch (the law-enforcing body), the legislative branch (the law-making body), and the judicial branch (the law-interpreting body).  POLITICAL PARTY SYSTEM A political party basically, is a group of people. These people come together to contest elections in order to hold power in the government. It is a way to mobilize voters to support common sets of interests, concerns, and goals. The primary role of the political party is to fix the political agenda and policies. So, each party tries to persuade people by claiming their policies are better than those of other parties.  POLITICAL PARTY SYSTEM In a broader perspective, a political party is a means via which the people can speak to the government and have a say in the governance of any country. So, every political party must have three key components: Leaders - Formulate policies and programs of the party and choose candidates for contesting elections. Active Members - involved in different committees of the party and participate directly in their activity. Followers - believe in the party’s ideology and support the party by casting their votes in favor of the party at the time of the election.  FUNCTIONS OF A POLITICAL PARTY A political party contests elections by putting up candidates. In countries like the USA, the candidates are selected by members and supporters of a party. On the other hand, in countries like India, the candidates are chosen by top party leaders. Every party has different policies and programs. Voters make a choice in accordance with the policies and programs they like.  FUNCTIONS OF A POLITICAL PARTY In a democratic country, a large group of people that has certain similar opinions group together and form a party. Then, give a direction to the policies adopted by the government. Those parties which lose elections form the opposition. They voice different views and criticize the government for its failures and mobilize opposition to the government.  FUNCTIONS OF A POLITICAL PARTY Political parties shape public opinion. With the help of pressure groups, the parties launch movements for solving problems faced by the people. Parties even offer access to government machinery and welfare schemes. The local party leader serves as a link between the citizen and the government officer.  IMPORTANCE OF POLITICAL PARTIES A democracy cannot exist without the presence of a political party. This is clear from the function performed by the political parties. In case, there are no political parties then: Every candidate in the election would be an independent candidate. Any individual candidate does not have the efficiency to promise any major policy change to the people. In such a scenario, no one will be responsible for how the country is run. In the long run, only a representative democracy can survive. Political parties are the agencies that gather different views on various issues and present them to the government.  TYPES OF PARTY SYSTEMS 1. One-Party System In a one-party system, there is no competition in this system. Here, the lone party nominates the candidates and the voters have only two choices i.e. Not to vote at all or write ‘yes’ or ‘no’ against the name of the candidates nominated by the party.  TYPES OF PARTY SYSTEMS Such a political system has been prominent in authoritarian regimes and communist countries such as China, North Korea, and Cuba. Before the collapse of communism, this system was also prevalent in USSR.  TYPES OF PARTY SYSTEMS 2. Two-Party System In a two-party system, the power shifts between two major, dominant parties. So, for winning the elections, the winner will have to get the maximum number of votes. However, please know that the maximum number of votes is not equivalent to a majority of votes.  TYPES OF PARTY SYSTEMS So, the smaller parties tend to merge with the bigger parties or they drop out of elections. Such a parliamentary system prevails in Canada and Great Britain, in which there are two parties holding the maximum numbers of seats.  TYPES OF PARTY SYSTEMS 3. Multi-Party System The third and the most common form of government is the multi-party system. In such a system, there are three or more parties that have the capacity to gain control of the government separately or in a coalition.  TYPES OF PARTY SYSTEMS In case, no party achieves a clear majority of the legislative seats, then several parties join forces and form a coalition government. Countries like India, follow a multi-party system. Some people are of the view, that a multi-party system often leads to political instability in a country.  INTEREST GROUP Also called special interest group, advocacy group, or pressure group, any association of individuals or organizations, usually formally organized, that, on the basis of one or more shared concerns, attempts to influence public policy in its favor.  INTEREST GROUP All interest groups share a desire to affect government policy to benefit themselves or their causes. Their goal could be a policy that exclusively benefits group members or one segment of society (e.g., government subsidies for farmers) or a policy that advances a broader public purpose (e.g., improving air quality). They attempt to achieve their goals by lobbying—that is, by attempting to bring pressure to bear on policymakers to gain policy outcomes in their favor.  INTEREST GROUP Interest groups are a natural outgrowth of the communities of interest that exist in all societies, from narrow groups such as the Japan Eraser Manufacturers Association to broad groups such as the American Federation of Labor–Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) and to even broader organizations such as the military. Politics and interests are inseparable.  INTEREST GROUP Interests are a prevalent, permanent, and essential aspect of all political systems—democratic, authoritarian, and totalitarian regimes alike. Furthermore, interest groups exist at all levels of government—national, state, provincial, and local—and increasingly they have occupied an important role in international affairs. The common goals and sources of interest groups are unclear, however, the fact that they vary widely in their form and lobbying strategies both within and across political systems.  TYPES OF INTEREST GROUP 1. Economic interest groups Omnipresent and the most prominent in all countries. There are literally thousands of them with offices in national capitals from London to Ottawa to New Delhi to Canberra. There are several different kinds of economic interests: business groups, labor groups, farm groups, and professional groups.  TYPES OF INTEREST GROUP 2. Cause groups Those that represent a segment of society but whose primary purpose is noneconomic and usually focused on promoting a particular cause or value. This category is wide-ranging, including churches and religious organizations, and groups supporting the rights of people with disabilities. Some cause groups are single-issue groups, focusing very narrowly on their issue to the exclusion of all others—such as those favoring or opposing abortion rights or foxhunting— though most cause groups are more broadly based.  TYPES OF INTEREST GROUP 3. Public interest groups Promote issues of general public concern (e.g., environmental protection, human rights, and consumer rights). Many public interest groups operate in a single country. Increasingly, however, many public interest groups have a much broader international presence, with activities in many countries.  SOCIAL MOVEMENTS A loosely organized but sustained campaign in support of a social goal, typically either the implementation or the prevention of a change in society’s structure or values. Although social movements differ in size, they are all essentially collective. That is, they result from the more or less spontaneous coming together of people whose relationships are not defined by rules and procedures but who merely share a common outlook on society.  CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL MOVEMENTS A movement is not merely a perpetuated crowd, since a crowd does not possess organizational and motivational mechanisms capable of sustaining membership through periods of inaction and waiting. Furthermore, crowd mechanisms cannot be used to achieve communication and coordination of activity over a wide area, such as a nation or continent. A movement is a mixture of organization and spontaneity. There is usually one or more organizations that give identity, leadership, and coordination to the movement, but the boundaries of the movement are never coterminous with the organizations.  TYPES OF SOCIAL MOVEMENTS Reform movement advocates a change that will preserve the existing values but will provide improved means of implementing them. The revolutionary movement, on the other hand, is regarded as advocating the replacement of existing values. Almost invariably, however, the members of a so-called revolutionary movement insist that it is they who cherish the true values of the society and that it is the opponents who define the movement as revolutionary and subversive of basic, traditional values.  POLITICAL CULTURE A nation’s political personality. It encompasses the deep-rooted, well-established political traits that are characteristic of a society. Political culture takes into account the attitudes, values, and beliefs that people in a society have about the political system, including standard assumptions about the way that government works. Political culture helps build community and facilitate communication because people share an understanding of how and why political events, actions, and experiences occur in their country.  TYPES OF POLITICAL CULTURE 1. Parochial Political Culture This type of political culture is one in which the citizens of the country have very little awareness of the central government, and they do not play an active role in government affairs. Parochial political cultures are commonly found in underdeveloped countries. This could be due to the citizens being uninformed, or disinterested, in politics. Because of their lack of involvement, the government officials tend to disregard the citizens there, and thus a parochial political culture is established. Some examples of parochial political cultures can be seen in various regions in Asia and Africa.  TYPES OF POLITICAL CULTURE 2. Subject Political Culture In this type of political culture, people play a more important role. The people know and understand the political system and how it impacts their lives. They sometimes participate in political decisions. An example of a subject of political culture is Germany.  TYPES OF POLITICAL CULTURE 3. Participant Political Culture All citizens have the opportunity to participate in politics in a participatory political system. Citizens are aware of their rights and ability to influence political workings, and many feel that it is their duty to participate. An example of a participant’s political culture is the United States of America.  POLITICAL ACTIVISM Use of active and coercive online initiatives and campaigns to create awareness about political issues and/or promote political reforms. Activism is the driving force behind many policies and legislation in America. The concerted efforts of individuals in pursuit of a cause are crucial to a working democracy.  POLITICAL COMMUNICATION Political communication is an interactive process concerning the transmission of information among politicians, the news media, and the public. The process operates downward from governing institutions toward citizens, horizontally in linkages among political actors, and also upward from public opinion toward authorities.  POLITICAL COMMUNICATION Political communication has always been central to the electoral and policymaking process but since the early 1990s certain important developments have fundamentally altered this process, particularly postwar trends in the mass media moving from the traditional world of newspapers, radio, and television broadcasting toward the Internet.