USCP 01 Lesson 3: Political Science

Polis

comes from the Greek word which means "city-state.

public sphere

(people involved in governance and

public affairs who exclusively practice politics)

private sphere

(people including businesses,

educational institutions, families, and other citizens

who were not involved in running the affairs of the

state)

Politics

is the activity through

which people make, preserve,

and amend the rules under

which they live.

politics as the art of

government

politics as public

affairs

politics as

compromise and

consensus

politics as power

Defining Politics

Politics can be viewed in four ways

the state

is a political organization

which, through the government,

exercises sovereign rule over a

population within a defined territory.

sovereignty

refers to absolute rule,

power, and authority within the state.

Political Science

is the study of

governance and policies, political

culture and activities, power

relations and ideologies.

uses concepts, frameworks,

and theories to explain how a set of policies

and processes lead to certain outcomes.

Easton's Political System

a framework for understanding political culture and policymaking.

shows how the interactions between political actors (citizens or groups) and

institutions result in the formulation and execution of policies.

ENVIRONMENT

DEMANDS

GOVERNMENT

SUPPORT

DECISIONS

Easton's Political System Parts

ENVIRONMENT

(changes in the

environment affect actors that prompt

the generation of demands addressed to

the government)

DEMANDS

(may be in the form of fair

wages, quality education, housing, and

public works)

GOVERNMENT

(responsible for filtering

the numerous demands it receives)

SUPPORT

(may be in the form of the tax

payment, obedience to laws and

regulations, and participation in

government-led activities)

DECISIONS

(made in the form of policies

for enforcement and feedback from the

public)

Philippine Politics

political model can be characterized as a representative

democracy.

citizens get to choose their leaders or representatives

by participating in the democratic process of elections

and exercising their right to vote.

Executive Branches

responsible for implementing or enforcing the law

includes the President as the Chief Executive, the Vice

President, and Members of the Cabinet of the Philippines

Legislative Branch

responsible for formulating and amending the laws of the

country

is bicameral and includes two chambers: the upper house or

the Senate and the lower house or the House of

Representatives

Branches of the Government: Legislative

Senate (Upper House)

composed of 24 elected

Senators

elected to serve 6 years per

term and may be reelected for

a maximum of 2 consecutive

terms

Branches of the Government: Legislative

House of Representatives (Lower House)

composed of elected district

representatives from LGUs

and party-list representatives

elected to serve 3 years per

term and may be relected for

a maximum of 3 consecutive

terms

Judicial Branch or Judiciary

responsible for adjudicating and interpreting the laws of

the country according to the provisions of the Philippine

Constitution

includes the Supreme Court and the lower courts

Chief Justice

14 associate justice (70 years old)

Aristotle

considered as the Father of Political Science

determined the best way to organize, govern,

and achieve the ends of a state

developed a system of classification by

observing different government types and

functions

recommended the polity as the ideal form of

government, which is leaned towards having

several quality leaders in government with the

best interests of everyone in mind

Niccolo Machiavelli

formulated his political ideas from his

observations and practice of politics

while serving as an Italian statesman

wrote The Prince, which

recommended how a state must be

governed and how power must be

acquired and retained by its leader

John Locke

known as one of the renowned social contract

theorists whose written works prescribed how

society must be organized and governed

wrote about the government's responsibility to

protect the citizens' rights to life, liberty, and

property as a known liberal thinker

proposed the separation of powers in

government to ensure checks and balances and

the importance of selecting a leader through

the process of elections

Political Thinker

an American professor and political

commentator who proposed the concept of

waves of democracy, which related political

shifts and changes in the distribution of

power among states as triggers for the

implementation of democratic reforms

his controversial contribution includes his

projection that the major civilizations in the

world would come into conflict and would

cause global disorder and adverse effects in

the 21st century

(Philosophical Tradition)

serves as the primary guide for establishing

different styles of governance, leadership,

and configurations of the state

questions in this analysis type include: What

is the ideal type and organization of society?

What makes a good government? What

should be the characteristics of a great

leader?

(Empirical Approach)

emphasizes the descriptive analysis of

observable data on political structures

and types of governance (test table,

hypothesis and experimentation)

seeks to provide an objective or

impartial examination of politics by

exploring 'what is?'

(Behavioralism

analyzes political topics based on

observable behaviors using quantitative

or statistical methods

topics in this analysis type include:

voting behavior, leadership, political

parties, and interest groups

INC endorsement of candidates

Makamahirap campaign

(Rational Choice)

explores how individuals weigh options

and choose one they think would be

most beneficial to them

topics in this analysis type include:

public policies and international

relations topics like nuclear deterrence,

arms race, international cooperation,

and balance of power

(Critical Approaches)

this approach is: critical of the status

quo and seeks to study topics about

marginalized sectors of society; and

(critical of the dominant approaches

to political analysis and goes beyond

quantitative measures in studying

politics

provide alternate perspective