Approaches to Political Analysis

Lesson 3

Traditional Approaches

5 Major Approaches

Behavioral Approaches

5 Major Approaches

Political System Approaches

5 Major Approaches

Political Process Approaches

5 Major Approaches

Traditional Approaches

study of state and government in their various aspects

Traditional Approaches

a study of organization and activities of the state and principle and ideas which underlie political organizations and activities

Traditional Approaches

relations of man with the state

Traditional Approaches

focuses on the function and organization of state as it relates to society

Traditional Approaches

what ought to be size of the state and what is an ideal state

Philosophical Approach

thought about thought

Philosophical Approach

an effort to clarify thought about the nature of the subject and ends and means in studying the activities of man

Philosophical Approach

Philosophy is the quest for wisdom, and political philosophy is the attempt truly to know about the nature of political things and the right or the good political order (Leo Strauss)

Philosophical Approach

Values are indispensable part of political philosophy and cannot be excluded from the study of politics

Plato (Republic)

He uses dialogues to define justice and describe the ideal state.

Plato (Republic)

In Book IV, Plato defines justice as each class (rulers,

auxiliaries, producers) doing its own work and not meddling

in the work of others. Plato develops a tripartite structure of

the soul (reason, spirit, appetite) and maps it onto a

tripartite society.

Plato (Republic)

A just society is one where the rational elite rules for the

benefit of all

Plato (Republic)

Justice is doing one’s own work and not meddling with what isn’t one’s own.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan)

Hobbes describes the state of nature as one of chaos and constant conflict (Chapter XIII)

Social Contract

individuals give up certain freedoms to a sovereign who maintains order and peace.

Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan)

During the time men live  without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war... and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

John Locke (Two Treatises of Government)

Locke argues from reason and natural law to justify

limited government and individual rights.

John Locke (Two Treatises of Government)

natural rights (life, liberty, property) and the consent of

the governed

John Locke (Two Treatises of Government)

He refutes the divine right of kings and justifies rebellion

against unjust rulers

John Locke (Two Treatises of Government)

Men being... by nature, all free, equal, and independent, no one can be put out of this estate, and subjected to the political power of another, without his own consent.

Institutional Approach

formal aspect of government and politics

Institutional Approach

state, government, executive, legislature, political parties, judiciary etc.

Institutional Approach

concerned with the study of the central governmental institutions and their legal aspects and opinions

Charles Louis Secondat Baron de Montesquieu (The Spirit of Laws)

political institutions (executive, legislative, judicial) should be

separate to prevent tyranny

Charles Louis Secondat Baron de Montesquieu (The Spirit of Laws)

separation and balance is crucial for maintaining freedom and

preventing despotism

Charles Louis Secondat Baron de Montesquieu (The Spirit of Laws)

When the legislative and  executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty...

James Madison‘ (The Federalist Papers)

Checks and balances, federalism, and independent

branches of government are institutional mechanisms that

constrain power through design

James Madison‘ (The Federalist Papers)

Ambition must be made to counteract ambition... It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government.

Max Weber (Politics as a Vocation)

outlines types of authority (traditional, charismatic, legal-rational), and shows how modern states rely on bureaucratic institutions that function through legal-rational authority

Max Weber (Politics as a Vocation)

A state is a human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.

Historical/Evolutionary Approach

History is past politics

Historical/Evolutionary Approach

all subjects discussed in the writings of important political philosophers contains body of knowledge on many issues problems, developments and change that happened in civilizations

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Discourse on the Origin of Inequality)

Rousseau traced human development from primitive

equality → private property → inequality → civil society

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Discourse on the Origin of Inequality)

He used historical reconstruction of human society to explain how inequality emerged over time.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Discourse on the Origin of Inequality)

Political systems are not eternal but evolve due to economic and social changes, particularly property relations.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Discourse on the Origin of Inequality)

The first person who said this is mine and others believed him, was the true founder of civil society.

John Stuart Mill (On Liberty)

Liberty progresses historically as societies advance in education, culture, and political participation.

John Stuart Mill (On Liberty)

Liberty is tied to the historical development of civilization, arguing that freedom grows as societies become more rational and democratic.

John Stuart Mill (On Liberty)

Political rights expand over time in response to historical struggles.

John Stuart Mill (On Liberty)

The worth of a man is in proportion to the objects he pursues; liberty is essential to human happiness, and the free development of individuality is one of the leading essentials of well-being.

Karl Marx (The Communist Manifesto)

Marx offered the clearest historical-evolutionary framework, tracing political and economic systems through historical stages: primitive communism → slavery → feudalism → capitalism → socialism → communism

Karl Marx (The Communist Manifesto)

Historical materialism explains politics as the result of economic evolution and class struggle

Karl Marx (The Communist Manifesto)

The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.

Legal Approach

the formal legal institutional and constitutional framework of different countries

Thomas Hobbes

He described the state of nature as chaotic and life as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

John Locke

He argued that men are born with natural rights—life, liberty, and property—and that government exists by consent of the governed.

Plato

He defined justice as each class doing its own work and not meddling in others’.

Philosophical Approach

This approach focuses on clarifying values, ideas, and principles about politics, such as justice and the ideal state.

Charles Montesquieu

He emphasized the separation of powers to prevent tyranny.

James Madison

He argued that “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition” in designing institutions.

Max Weber

He defined the state as the entity that holds the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force.

Institutional Approach

This approach studies political institutions like the executive, legislature, and judiciary

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

He argued that the creation of private property began social inequality.

Karl Marx

explained politics as the outcome of economic evolution and class struggle.

Behavioral Approach

popularized by the American political scientists at the Chicago University

Behavioral Approach

Protest movement (Robert Dahl)

Behavioral Approach

It is an attempt to improve our understanding of points by seeking to explain the empirical aspects of political life by means of methods, theories, and criteria of proof that are acceptable according to canons and assumptions of modern political science (Dahl, 1963)

Behavioral Approach

Techniques: Observations, interviews, survey research, case study, data collection, statistical analysis, quantification, and models.

Behavioral Approach

Political behavior is interdisciplinary

Regularities

There are discernible uniformities in political behavior that can be expressed in generalizations or theories in order to explain or predict political phenomena.

Regularities

ELECTION OUTCOMES

What are the regularities/ patterns of behavior on election outcomes in the Philippines?

• Media exposure

• Celebrity status

• Family name recognition

Generalization

Filipinos tend to favor candidates who are familiar over those with stronger but less publicized credentials.

Verification

What cannot be verified or tested is merely dogmatic or not scientific

Verification

e.g.

1. Public Satisfaction Surveys: Filipinos are happy with their government

2. Policy Impact Studies: 4Ps beneficiaries’ children actually have higher school attendance and better nutrition compared to non-beneficiaries.

3. Crime and Curfew Policies: Crime went down because of curfew

Techniques

The behavioralists put much emphasis on the mechanisms that facilitate the acquisition and interpretation of data for making an objective analysis.

Techniques

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) uses censuses, structured surveys, and statistical software to gather data about population, poverty, and employment.

Quantification

Precision in the recording of data and the statement of their findings requires tables, graphs, and curves to be drawn in behavioral research

Values

Behavioralists believe in separating facts from values.

Values

In order to be valid, scientific inquiry must be free from ethical or moral orientations.

Systematization

It must be theory-oriented and theory-directed.

Systematization

It should consist of analysis, explanation, and prediction, and not speculation or introspection.

Pure Science

It should be perfectly verifiable by evidence.

Pure Science

It may or may not be applicable to a specific problem.

Integration

Political behavior can only be done by understanding how other social, economic, and cultural factors influence it

Characteristics of Behavioral Analysis in Pol Sci

Behavioral analysis rejects political institutions as the basic unit for research and identifies the behavior of individuals in political situations as the basic unit of analysis.

Characteristics of Behavioral Analysis in Pol Sci

It identifies social science as behavioral science and emphasizes the unity of political science with the social science, so defined.

Characteristics of Behavioral Analysis in Pol Sci

It advocates the utilization and development of more precise techniques of observing, classifying, and measuring data and organizes the use of statistical or quantitative formulations whenever possible.

Characteristics of Behavioral Analysis in Pol Sci

It defines the construction of systematic, empirical theory as the goal of political science.

Political System Approach

behavior or set of interactions through which authoritative allocations (or binding decisions) are made and implemented for society (Easton)

Political Community

all persons bound by the political decision of labor

Regime

constitutional legal structures, political processes, institutional norms, and basic values

Political authorities

individuals exercising power as agents of the state

Structural-Functional Approach

It focuses largely on explaining the functions a political system must perform to survive and remain stable

Political Recruitment

People must be recruited to fill political roles from voter to government leads

Political Socialization

The attitudes to the political system must be formed and sustained

Political Communication

Political relevant information must be transmitted 

Interest Articulation

Demands for particular policies must be expressed

Interest Aggregation

Demands must be selected and combined into manageable number of major alternatives 

Policy Making

Demands must be selected into authoritative decision and politics

Policy Implementation

The decisions must be put into effect

Pluralism (Group and Elites) Approaches

We should all just get along.

Pluralism (Group and Elites) Approaches

Assumes that its practice will lead decision-makers to negotiate solutions that contribute to the common good

Pluralism (Group and Elites) Approaches

people with different interests, beliefs, and lifestyles will coexist peacefully and be allowed to participate in the governing process

Major Tenets of Pluralist School

resources and hence potential power are widely scattered throughout society

Major Tenets of Pluralist School

at least some resources are available to nearly everyone

Major Tenets of Pluralist School

at any time, the amount of potential power exceeds the amount of actual power.

Group Approach

All political activity is groups pursuing their interests against the interests of others