Politics Notes PDF

Politics Derived from the Greek word “polis” meaning “city-state”. The affairs of the polis “what concerns the polis” or “what concerns the state”. Deals with both state and power. A process whereby individuals, groups, or communities seek to achieve their specific but conflicting goals....

Politics Derived from the Greek word “polis” meaning “city-state”. The affairs of the polis “what concerns the polis” or “what concerns the state”. Deals with both state and power. A process whereby individuals, groups, or communities seek to achieve their specific but conflicting goals. Seeks to allocate resources. Includes physical coercion or force by the government. The study of structures, institutions, processes and activities, recognizes the possibility of the use of power. The science and art of government. The technique of compromise or the method to capture power and retain it. Refers to the actual happenings in society and in institutions. Harold Laswell Politics is the study of influence and the influential or the study of the shaping and sharing of power. Politics as a public affair. David Easton: authoritative allocation of values Politics encompasses the various process through which government respond to pressures from the larger society, in particular by allocating benefits, rewards or penalties. Politics as a public affair. Aristotle: man is by nature a political animal (Politics) Politics is an ethical activity concerned with creating a “just society”. a noble and enlightened activity precisely because of its “public” character. Hannah Arendt “Politics is the most important human activity because it involves interaction amongst free and equal citizens.” Jean Jacques Rousseau “Only through the direct participation of all citizens in political life can the state be bound to the common good, on the ‘general will’.” John Stuart Mill “Involvement in public affairs is educational, in that it promotes the personal, moral and intellectual development of an individual.” Politics as a compromise and consensus. Politics as power Faces of Power: a) As decision-making b) As agenda setting c) As thought control Karl Marx “used politics in a conventional sense to refer to the apparatus of the state.” Views politics as a study of irreconcilable conflicts between the two classes: ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’, the exploiters and the exploited. “The emancipation of the have-nots will come only through a revolution which would put an end to the institution of private property, thus changing the class society to the classless society. Politics, together with law and culture, are part of a superstructure that is distinct from the economic base that is real foundation of social life. Economic is political: class struggle is the very heart of politics. Political power is rooted in the class system. Predicted that class exploitation would be overthrown by a proletarian revolution. Vladimir Lenin “Politics is the most concentrated formof economics.” Marxists Politics in a capitalist society is characterized by the exploitation of the proletariat by the bourgeoise. Believe in class politics will end with the establishment of a classless communist society which will lead to the withering away of the state, also bringing politics in the conventional sense to an end. Radical Feminists Politics is about oppression and subjugation. Holds that society is patriarchal, in that women are systematically subordinated and sub jected to male power. The need for gender relations to be reordered through a sexual revolution. Look to an end of sexual politics achieved through the construction of non-sexist society, in which people will be valued according to personal worth, rather than on the basis of gender. Political Science “Political science as the study of the state". It studies the state and power in all their aspects. Deals extensively with the analysis of political systems, the theoretical and practical applications to politics, and the examination of political behavior. It is a field that intersects many other branches like, sociology, economics, history, anthropology, psychology, public policy among others. Concerned with the study of the global political economy. A classical discipline that deals with the study of political phenomena. Has a symbiotic relationships between political science and other sub disciplines of social sciences as they have a common ground in their quest to understand how political systems work and how politics and governance play themselves out. The study of governments, public policies and political processes, systems, and political behavior. A part of social science which deals with the foundations of the state and the principles of the government. Deals with those aspects of individuals in society which relate to their activities and organizations devoted to seeking of power, resolution of conflicts and all these, within an overall framework of the rule and law as laid down by the state. The study of shaping and sharing of power (Harold J Laswell and Abraha, Kaplan). Deals with empirical facts and normative issues; deals with empirical statements and also evaluates the existing political institutions, practices and focuses on how to improve them. A study of the state in the past, present and future; of political organization, political processes and political functions; of political and political theories. Importance of the Study of Political Science: a) Study of state and government b) Study of associations and institutions c) Study of national and international problems d) Study of political behavior of man e) Study of the past, present and future of development f) Study of the concepts of power, authority and influence Perspectives on Politics: a) Politics as a human activity b) Politics as art of government c) Politics as public affairs d) Politics as compromise and consensus e) Politics as the study of power Power The ability to determine the behavior of others in accord with one's own wishes. Consists fundamentally of relationships, of subordination, of dominance and submission, of the governors and the governed and the study of politics involves the study of these relationships. Three Dimensions of Power: 1) Political power 2) Economic power 3) Ideological power Why choose Political Science as a course?  An excellent major for students interested in learning how groups of people govern themselves, how policies are made, and how we can improve our government policies at the local, state, national, and international levels. Prepares students for jobs in many fields, from business to law to research. Political science majors qualify for many different careers in private and public sector organization including careers in business, law, local and national government, journalism, international organizations, and teaching. Political science training also provides valuable preparation for participating in community organizations, electoral politics, movements on behalf of specific policies, or even seeking elected appointed positions In government. LESSON 2: APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF POLITICS 1) Philosophical Tradition Political philosophy tradition involved a preoccupation with essentially ethical, prescriptive or normative question reflecting a concern with what “should", “ought", or “must" be brought about, rather that with what “is". Plato and Aristotle are usually identified as the founding fathers of this tradition. Central theme of Plato's work: an attempt to describe the nature of the ideal society, which in his view took the form of a benign dictatorship dominated by a class of philosopher kings. Normative questions: Why should I obey the state? How should rewards be distributed? What should the limits of individual freedom be? 2) Empirical Tradition  The empirical approach to political analysis is characterized by an attempt to offer a dispassionate and impartial account of political reality. The approach is descriptive: it seeks to analyze and explain. The doctrine of empiricism advanced the belief that experience is the only basis of a knowledge, and that therefore all hypotheses and theories should be tested by a process of observation. Spread from the seventeenth century onwards through the work of theorists such as John Locke and David Hume. 3) Behaviorism the belief that social theories should be constructed only on the basis of observable behavior, providing quantifiable data for research. gave politics reliably scientific credential because it provided objective and quantifiable data against which hypotheses could be tested. political analysts like David Easton proclaimed that politics could adopt the methodology of the natural sciences that gave rise to the proliferation of studies in areas best suited to the use of quantitative research methods such as voting behavior, the behavior of legislators and the behavior of municipal politicians and lobbyists. in 1870s, political science courses were introduced in the universities of Oxford, Paris and Columbia and by 1906, the American Political Science Review was being published. 4) Rational Choice Theory “institutional public choice theory" A useful analytical device which may provide insights into the actions of voters, lobbyists, bureaucrats and politicians, as well as into the behavior of states within the international system. 5) New Institutionalism Institution: a well established body with a formal role and status; a set of rules that ensure regular and predictable behavior. Political institutions are no longer equated with political organizations; as set of rules which guide or constrain the behavior of individual actors. Institutions are “embedded" in a particular normative and historical context. 6) Critical Approaches New critical perspectives: antipathy towards mainstream thinking. Feminism, critical theory, green politics, constructivism, post colonialism. Characteristics: Seek to contest the status quo by aligning themselves with the interests of marginalized or oppressed groups. Tried to go beyond the positivism of mainstream Political science, emphasizing instead the role of consciousness in shaping social conduct and the political world. LESSON 3: MAJOR CONCEPTS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE 1) Public Goods, the Tragedy of the Commons and Free Riders These are goods that are available for and consumed by all individuals. 2) States  Refer to groups of people living under a single governmental system. 3) Government The style and structure of the institutions that make authoritative decisions for a society. 4) Power The ability to have one's will carried out despite the resistance of others. Examples: Legitimate authority - just and appropriate power Traditional authority - rooted in traditional, long standing beliefs and practices of a society Rational-Legal authority Charismatic authority 5) Ideology A consistent and coherent set of ideas concerning any number of things from religion and morals to theories about politics and how states should be run. Examples: Conservatism, Liberalism, Communism 6) Civil Liberties These are natural rights or our ability to do certain things that must be protected from government.; include freedom of speech, thought and actions, freedom of religion, the ability to own and possess firearms, and the right to be free from unwarranted search and seizure. 7) Civil Rights  These are our freedoms to be treated fairly and equally and these rights must be enforced by government rather than protected from it; include the right to vote and have that vote count; freedom from discrimination by law. 8) Human Rights These are rights we have simply because we exist as human beings - they are not granted by any state. These universal rights are inherent to us all, regardless of any other status. 9) Representation It is the idea that even though they are not there, the views of all the people in a society are considered when decisions are being made. To be truly represented, they must at least have been thought about and considered. 10) Political Culture It consists of those political ideas, norms, beliefs, and actions in which a group of people generally believes