Social Studies Term2 - Politics
Politics is the activities of the government, members of law-making organizations, or people who try to influence the way a country is governed
Politial Ideologies
Conservatism:
.Emphasies
-tradition
- authority
-property rights
. Subranch:
. Nationalism
-nation, community
- group over individual
Environmenalism
.Green Movement
.Sustainability over profit
Liberalism
.The individual, freedom, reason
. Free speech
. Free market
. Positive liberty
Socialism
.Community
. Rights of working class
.Getting rid of class system
Intro to Politics
What is politics?
Who get’s what, why, when, how
Institutions and mechanism by which territroy is governed
Distributes resources
Define norms by which political ativities are governed
International businesses prefer
free markets, low-regulation countries
can operate in every type
Theoretically, democratic government preferred de to more transparency (gov’t policies and changes clear)
Classication
-This is a specturm, not category
-Based on governance and economy
How to classify a system:
How leaders are elected
Who has power
What does the system revolve around
The way things are organised
Relationship between leader and leaded
Spectrums that you can look at
1. Collectivism vs individualism
Colectivism
Rights of community
Role of community
Individualism
Rights of individual
Role of individual
Rural vs urban
Rural
Traditions strong
Perception of community important. Therefore, conservatice thinking
Urban
Developed infrastructure
energy
transportation
healthcare
food
sewage
heating/cooling
Foreign investments and companies
Perception of individualism. Therefore, liberal thinking
Other factors that contribute to being collectivist or individualist thinking:
. Wealth difference
- wealthy people think they made it out on their own (individual)
- poor people want to be taken care of (collective)
- wealthy people think they have a duty to society (collective)
. Gender (access to wealth)
. Religion (some religions prioritise the good of the community)
. Colonial history (understands importance of collectivism)
. Geo-politics
3. Democracy vs authoritarian
Democracy
Exists in astate of constant motion
Source of legitimacy from ‘regular’ participation form people
Can be either direct of representative
Athen’s democracy is very different from today’s perception. Only free men can vote.
Authoritarian
Single leader
Source of legitimacy
National myth
Religion (theocracy)
Controlled information
Facism(appeal to mythical past
4. Democracy vs Totalitarianism
Democracy
Reactionary (ultraconservatice politics)
Liberal (not bound by authoritarianism)
Conservative
Radical (very different from traditional)
Totalitarianism
authoritarianism -the belief that people must obey completely and not be allowed freedom to act as they wish
facism - belif from past (ex. racial purity), use of force to quell dissent
communism (pre 20th century)- free association, absence of coercion, absence of state power
communism today - lack of active participation from governed
dictatorship - personal rather than systematic
Lists:
Liberal socialism
Anarchism (collective economics)
Social democracy
Social liberalism
Liberal free market
Conservative liberalism
US libertarians
Authoritarian socialism
Theocratic socialism (Iran at start?)
Communism
Authoritarian free market
Christian democracy
Conservatism
Facism
Thailand vs Denmark Political System Research
Success: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is being followed (1948) with emphasis on food, drinking water access, education, freedom of speech; effectiveness following though policies, and happiness of citizens. All scores need to be in the top 50%
Thailand Government Structure
Constitutional monarchy with monarch as Head of State
Parliamentary democracy with multiple parties (2023) and PM as Head of Government. Most of the data is from years without a multi-party system.
1997-2019: most seats in Parliament belong to two major parties with opposing ideas.
Monarch plays key role as a symbol of soverignty, politcally neutral.
Lese’ majeste law forbids defaming, insulting, threatenting monarch, consort, heir apparent, or regent. Up to 15 years in prison.
Monarch is so important due to the image of Rama IV with Sarit Thanarat in 1957 coup
Coup leaders show signs of deferene to give themselves a source of legitimacy. The monarch can’t refute those claims because they have to be politically neutral.
Appoints cabinet members
Final approval of bill
Military is also influential in politics. Has rights to intervene in times of crisis
60 years of former or servin military officers leading the government
19 coup attempts from 1932-2014
All members of Senate appointed by military
Current constitution written by military
Governmental organization
Drafted by Cabinet
Reviewed by Parliament
Sent to monarch for Royal Assent
Legislative arm - writes and approves bills; review budget
The National Assembly - rejects, amends, writes bills; reviews budget
Senate - approves bills that were approved by House, then sends to PM, who sends it to the king
All members apponinted by military
Executive arm - manages government, proposes bills, which are sent to NA to review
Cabinet - PM and ministers, head of each minitry of government. Controls government apart form Parliament and Courts
PM- implements laws, recommends cabinet memebrs to the king
Judiciary - interprets laws to solve legal disputes
Court of Justice - solves legal disputes. Consists of Courts of First Instance, Courts of Appeal, and Supreme Court
Constitutional Court - decides whether bills are constitutional
Administrative Court - settles cases regarding to hwo the government administers the law
Denmark Government Structure
How a bill is passed:
Drafted by Cabinet
Reviewed by Parliament
Sent to monarch for Royal Assent
Parliamentary democracy
Constitutional monarchy with monarch as Head of State and Prime Minister as Head of Government
No military influence
No lese’ majeste’ law
Governmental Organization
Legislative -reviews bills. Parliament (Folketing)- made up of several parties that form a coalition, no party rules by itself. Current coalition is Social Democratic, Liberal, Moderates
Executive - drafts bills, lead governemnt
PM- Head of Government, leads Cabinet, in charge of oversea territories (Faroe Isalnds and Greenland), in charge of constitutional affairs
Cabinet ministers- heads of government minitres, gives instructions to civil service
Judiciary - settles legal disputes. Operates separately from Parliament and Cabinet
Supreme Court - judges cases that determine how similar cases should be judged, exemaines how constitutional bills are
High Court - judges appealed cases from District Courts
Distirct Court - initally judges all cases
Criteria for Successful Political System
Human Rights. May not apply to immigrants, which denmark is crruently strugglign to integrate. Imigration policies are gettign stricter.
Right to Adequate Living
Food - Global Food Security Index (2022)
Thailand
60.1/100
Food afforability - 83.7/100. Available sustainability low is 50-60. Quality and safety is 45.3.
Food access is decreased with covid
Denmark
77.8/100
Food insecurity is 6%
Households below OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developement) poverty threshold and recieve benefits usually have only one parent and/or lower education level
Drinking water
Thailand
96% access in 2017
Quality bound to change because of farm chemicals, untreated sewage, and industrial waste
Denmark
97% have access in 2017
50% of drinkign water boreholes contain pesticides and other pollutants
Education
Thailand
Literacy is 94% in 2021
Primary school enrollment is 101.59% in 2022
Denmark
99.52% in 2021
100.3% primary enrollemtn in 2021
While expenditure on education is high, needs to work on educational performacne
Right to Free Speech
Thailand
Freedom House score - 1/4
Criticism of governemnt, monarchy, military leads to risk of imprisonment, harassment, or physical attack
Since 2022, speech-related offenses casued hundreds to face prosecution. Ex. human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa sentenced to 4 years in jail in a speech in 2020 calling for monarchy reformation
Denmark
4/4 Private conversations have multiple persepctives without restricted topics
Efficiency of government
Thailand
Corruptions perception index 35/100 2023
Vote-buying is common, especially towards poor people
Denmark
90/100 corruptions perception index 2023
Multiple-party coalition calls out each other
Happiness of citizens (wolrd happiness index).
Thailand
60/150
Denmark
2/150
Welfare systems help citizens in need
High minimum wage, high quality of life, work-life balane
Every citizen has access to healthcare and education. Compensation present for income loss due to unemployment, disability (etc)
How political systems affect success
Thailand:
Cabinet with ministers who are specialists in their area let people have basic needs (food, water, education) fulfilled- Ministry of Sanitation, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education. However, the worst of them, food (60.1/100) can be due to the coups and political instability, which forces farmers out of land.
Military power in politics, caused by coup leader in the 1932 coup claiming they have the right to intervene and the 1957 coup legitimizing themselves by appealing to the monarchy (the monarchy cannot refute these claims) causes:
.need to quell dissent with violence in order to hold on to power.
. Lese’ majeste’ being abused to stay in power
. Politicians who disagree with the military are kicked out of Parliament, which leads to lack of talents.
. The Chanocha government rely on the state security services to stay in power, who happen to also be corrupted.
. Thai courts after 2014 become politicised
. Security systems become corrupt because of patronage system and involvement in politics
. A government that is headed by military where criticism is not allowed leads to no improvements
. Corruption leads to lack of social welfare systems, which lead to less
While Srettha Thavisin’s governernment has a multi-party system, military influence is still strong. Also, the data retrieved is from the years under Chanocha’s junta, so a multi-party system is part of the reasons.
Constitutional monarchy where monarch is politcally neutral.
The monarch cannot object coup leader using their image as a source of legitimization or when the lese’ majeste’ law is being abused. For example, a justification for the 2006 coup was becasue Thaksin Shinawatra was claimed to not respect the monarchy. This leads to coups which leads to corruption, lack of free speech, low happiness score.
Denmark:
Cabinet with ministers in their area of expertise distribute food, water, and education
Multi-party system allows for criticism from other parties, which means that any mistake in general can be discussed. This is especially true for cases of free speech, government efficiency, and happiness (caused by healthcare, education, poverty prevention etc, trust in institution).
Lack of military influence leads to free speech, less corruption.
Politics is the activities of the government, members of law-making organizations, or people who try to influence the way a country is governed
Politial Ideologies
Conservatism:
.Emphasies
-tradition
- authority
-property rights
. Subranch:
. Nationalism
-nation, community
- group over individual
Environmenalism
.Green Movement
.Sustainability over profit
Liberalism
.The individual, freedom, reason
. Free speech
. Free market
. Positive liberty
Socialism
.Community
. Rights of working class
.Getting rid of class system
Intro to Politics
What is politics?
Who get’s what, why, when, how
Institutions and mechanism by which territroy is governed
Distributes resources
Define norms by which political ativities are governed
International businesses prefer
free markets, low-regulation countries
can operate in every type
Theoretically, democratic government preferred de to more transparency (gov’t policies and changes clear)
Classication
-This is a specturm, not category
-Based on governance and economy
How to classify a system:
How leaders are elected
Who has power
What does the system revolve around
The way things are organised
Relationship between leader and leaded
Spectrums that you can look at
1. Collectivism vs individualism
Colectivism
Rights of community
Role of community
Individualism
Rights of individual
Role of individual
Rural vs urban
Rural
Traditions strong
Perception of community important. Therefore, conservatice thinking
Urban
Developed infrastructure
energy
transportation
healthcare
food
sewage
heating/cooling
Foreign investments and companies
Perception of individualism. Therefore, liberal thinking
Other factors that contribute to being collectivist or individualist thinking:
. Wealth difference
- wealthy people think they made it out on their own (individual)
- poor people want to be taken care of (collective)
- wealthy people think they have a duty to society (collective)
. Gender (access to wealth)
. Religion (some religions prioritise the good of the community)
. Colonial history (understands importance of collectivism)
. Geo-politics
3. Democracy vs authoritarian
Democracy
Exists in astate of constant motion
Source of legitimacy from ‘regular’ participation form people
Can be either direct of representative
Athen’s democracy is very different from today’s perception. Only free men can vote.
Authoritarian
Single leader
Source of legitimacy
National myth
Religion (theocracy)
Controlled information
Facism(appeal to mythical past
4. Democracy vs Totalitarianism
Democracy
Reactionary (ultraconservatice politics)
Liberal (not bound by authoritarianism)
Conservative
Radical (very different from traditional)
Totalitarianism
authoritarianism -the belief that people must obey completely and not be allowed freedom to act as they wish
facism - belif from past (ex. racial purity), use of force to quell dissent
communism (pre 20th century)- free association, absence of coercion, absence of state power
communism today - lack of active participation from governed
dictatorship - personal rather than systematic
Lists:
Liberal socialism
Anarchism (collective economics)
Social democracy
Social liberalism
Liberal free market
Conservative liberalism
US libertarians
Authoritarian socialism
Theocratic socialism (Iran at start?)
Communism
Authoritarian free market
Christian democracy
Conservatism
Facism
Thailand vs Denmark Political System Research
Success: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is being followed (1948) with emphasis on food, drinking water access, education, freedom of speech; effectiveness following though policies, and happiness of citizens. All scores need to be in the top 50%
Thailand Government Structure
Constitutional monarchy with monarch as Head of State
Parliamentary democracy with multiple parties (2023) and PM as Head of Government. Most of the data is from years without a multi-party system.
1997-2019: most seats in Parliament belong to two major parties with opposing ideas.
Monarch plays key role as a symbol of soverignty, politcally neutral.
Lese’ majeste law forbids defaming, insulting, threatenting monarch, consort, heir apparent, or regent. Up to 15 years in prison.
Monarch is so important due to the image of Rama IV with Sarit Thanarat in 1957 coup
Coup leaders show signs of deferene to give themselves a source of legitimacy. The monarch can’t refute those claims because they have to be politically neutral.
Appoints cabinet members
Final approval of bill
Military is also influential in politics. Has rights to intervene in times of crisis
60 years of former or servin military officers leading the government
19 coup attempts from 1932-2014
All members of Senate appointed by military
Current constitution written by military
Governmental organization
Drafted by Cabinet
Reviewed by Parliament
Sent to monarch for Royal Assent
Legislative arm - writes and approves bills; review budget
The National Assembly - rejects, amends, writes bills; reviews budget
Senate - approves bills that were approved by House, then sends to PM, who sends it to the king
All members apponinted by military
Executive arm - manages government, proposes bills, which are sent to NA to review
Cabinet - PM and ministers, head of each minitry of government. Controls government apart form Parliament and Courts
PM- implements laws, recommends cabinet memebrs to the king
Judiciary - interprets laws to solve legal disputes
Court of Justice - solves legal disputes. Consists of Courts of First Instance, Courts of Appeal, and Supreme Court
Constitutional Court - decides whether bills are constitutional
Administrative Court - settles cases regarding to hwo the government administers the law
Denmark Government Structure
How a bill is passed:
Drafted by Cabinet
Reviewed by Parliament
Sent to monarch for Royal Assent
Parliamentary democracy
Constitutional monarchy with monarch as Head of State and Prime Minister as Head of Government
No military influence
No lese’ majeste’ law
Governmental Organization
Legislative -reviews bills. Parliament (Folketing)- made up of several parties that form a coalition, no party rules by itself. Current coalition is Social Democratic, Liberal, Moderates
Executive - drafts bills, lead governemnt
PM- Head of Government, leads Cabinet, in charge of oversea territories (Faroe Isalnds and Greenland), in charge of constitutional affairs
Cabinet ministers- heads of government minitres, gives instructions to civil service
Judiciary - settles legal disputes. Operates separately from Parliament and Cabinet
Supreme Court - judges cases that determine how similar cases should be judged, exemaines how constitutional bills are
High Court - judges appealed cases from District Courts
Distirct Court - initally judges all cases
Criteria for Successful Political System
Human Rights. May not apply to immigrants, which denmark is crruently strugglign to integrate. Imigration policies are gettign stricter.
Right to Adequate Living
Food - Global Food Security Index (2022)
Thailand
60.1/100
Food afforability - 83.7/100. Available sustainability low is 50-60. Quality and safety is 45.3.
Food access is decreased with covid
Denmark
77.8/100
Food insecurity is 6%
Households below OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developement) poverty threshold and recieve benefits usually have only one parent and/or lower education level
Drinking water
Thailand
96% access in 2017
Quality bound to change because of farm chemicals, untreated sewage, and industrial waste
Denmark
97% have access in 2017
50% of drinkign water boreholes contain pesticides and other pollutants
Education
Thailand
Literacy is 94% in 2021
Primary school enrollment is 101.59% in 2022
Denmark
99.52% in 2021
100.3% primary enrollemtn in 2021
While expenditure on education is high, needs to work on educational performacne
Right to Free Speech
Thailand
Freedom House score - 1/4
Criticism of governemnt, monarchy, military leads to risk of imprisonment, harassment, or physical attack
Since 2022, speech-related offenses casued hundreds to face prosecution. Ex. human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa sentenced to 4 years in jail in a speech in 2020 calling for monarchy reformation
Denmark
4/4 Private conversations have multiple persepctives without restricted topics
Efficiency of government
Thailand
Corruptions perception index 35/100 2023
Vote-buying is common, especially towards poor people
Denmark
90/100 corruptions perception index 2023
Multiple-party coalition calls out each other
Happiness of citizens (wolrd happiness index).
Thailand
60/150
Denmark
2/150
Welfare systems help citizens in need
High minimum wage, high quality of life, work-life balane
Every citizen has access to healthcare and education. Compensation present for income loss due to unemployment, disability (etc)
How political systems affect success
Thailand:
Cabinet with ministers who are specialists in their area let people have basic needs (food, water, education) fulfilled- Ministry of Sanitation, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education. However, the worst of them, food (60.1/100) can be due to the coups and political instability, which forces farmers out of land.
Military power in politics, caused by coup leader in the 1932 coup claiming they have the right to intervene and the 1957 coup legitimizing themselves by appealing to the monarchy (the monarchy cannot refute these claims) causes:
.need to quell dissent with violence in order to hold on to power.
. Lese’ majeste’ being abused to stay in power
. Politicians who disagree with the military are kicked out of Parliament, which leads to lack of talents.
. The Chanocha government rely on the state security services to stay in power, who happen to also be corrupted.
. Thai courts after 2014 become politicised
. Security systems become corrupt because of patronage system and involvement in politics
. A government that is headed by military where criticism is not allowed leads to no improvements
. Corruption leads to lack of social welfare systems, which lead to less
While Srettha Thavisin’s governernment has a multi-party system, military influence is still strong. Also, the data retrieved is from the years under Chanocha’s junta, so a multi-party system is part of the reasons.
Constitutional monarchy where monarch is politcally neutral.
The monarch cannot object coup leader using their image as a source of legitimization or when the lese’ majeste’ law is being abused. For example, a justification for the 2006 coup was becasue Thaksin Shinawatra was claimed to not respect the monarchy. This leads to coups which leads to corruption, lack of free speech, low happiness score.
Denmark:
Cabinet with ministers in their area of expertise distribute food, water, and education
Multi-party system allows for criticism from other parties, which means that any mistake in general can be discussed. This is especially true for cases of free speech, government efficiency, and happiness (caused by healthcare, education, poverty prevention etc, trust in institution).
Lack of military influence leads to free speech, less corruption.