POLITICS

Politics (from Greek: Politiká: Politika, definition "affairs of the cities") is the process of making decisions applying to all
members of each group. More narrowly, it refers to achieving and exercising positions of governance — organized
control over a human community, particularly a state. Furthermore, politics is the study or practice of the distribution of
power and resources within a given community (this is usually a hierarchically organized population) as well as the
interrelationship(s) between communities.

THE CONCEPT OF GOVERNANCE

In most dictionaries “government” and “governance” are interchangeably used, both denoting the exercise of authority
in an organization, institution or state.

Government is the name given to the entity exercising that authority. Authority can most simply define as legitimate
power. Whereas power is the ability to influence the behavior of others, authority is the right to do so.

Authority is therefore the based on an acknowledged duty to obey rather than on any form of coercion or manipulation.
Weber distinguished between three kinds of authority, based on the different grounds upon obedience can be
established; traditional authority is rooted in history, charismatic authority stems from personality and legal-authority
is grounded in a set of impersonal rules.

To study government is to study the exercise of authority. (Heywood, 1997)

Government is closely related to politics.

To study politics is in essence to study government or more broadly, to study the exercise of authority. Politics is the art
of government, the exercise of control within the society through the making and enforcement of collective decisions.
(Heywood 1997)

Government vs Governance

Government and governance are two very similar words. People often get confused about the differences between
“governance” and “government.” Here we are going to discuss the differences between these two related words.

Government
Government is a group of people who rule or run the administration of a country. In other words, it may be said that a
government is the body of representatives that governs and controls the state at a given time. Government is the
medium through which the power of the state is employed.

Government may be of different types. It may be a democracy or autocracy, but most of the modern governments are
democratic. Here we are taking into consideration the democratic ones in relation with the government.
A democratic government may be defined as that which has the public mandate to run the affairs of the country with a
well-defined term after which in the successive term the same people may be elected again. The government may be
labeled as good or bad according to their ways of working for the good of the people. If a government provides capable
governance, then it has a chance of coming back into power again.
Governance
Governance is the act of governing or ruling. It is the set of rules and laws framed by the government that are to be
implemented through the representatives of the state. Simply put, governance is what governments do.
Governance is a concept that can be followed in an organization of any size, be it a single cell or an organism or all of
humanity. Governance may function variously for profit or non-profit, for people, or itself. The main purpose of
governance is to assure good results following a set pattern of rules.

Non-Profit and a few others

The difference between “government” and “governance” may be clarified using an example of a business which is run by
a group of people. The rules and regulations which they follow in order to run the business successfully are called the
management. This involves the experience and the knowledge of the owners working together with the employees to
meet the set target. On a similar pattern, the government is a body of elected representatives which is headed by a
single person. This body makes use of established rules and a principle to efficiently run the affairs of the country in
favor of the people of the nation is called governance.

Summary:

1.Governance is what a government does.

2.Governance is the physical exercise of the polity while the government is the body through which this is done.

Political Ideologies
The “term ideology” was conceived in 1796 by French philosopher Destutt de Tracy to refer to a new science
that endeavored to uncover origins of conscious thought and ideas. He called this “science of ideas” ideologie.
Sociologist Peter Braham (2013) stresses that aside from its neutral definition of being a set of more or less
consistent beliefs, ideology is also “widely used… to describe a cluster of belief not only judged false or
distorted, but also as deliberately concealing some hidden interest.”
Simply put , ideology is a set of related ideas or systematic group of concepts and beliefs about culture, society,
and human life. Often, ideologies dictate how societies should be structured.
Political Ideology is a more or less coherent set of ideas that provides a basis for organized political action,
whether ideas are intended to preserve, modify, or overthrow the existing power structure (Heywood, 2003).

Different Political Ideologies

Liberalism
It is a political ideology that gives importance to the fulfillment of the individual through the satisfaction of his
interest.
Elements of Liberalism
Heywood (2003) identified seven elements of liberalism. These are individualism, freedom, reason, equality, toleration,
consent, and constitutionalism.
Individualism
It is the principle of liberalism. The human individual is given the most importance; emphasis is placed not on social
groups or collective bodies. Individuals in this context are considered as having the same worth and possessing their
own unique identities.

Freedom
Is the principal attribute of liberal ideology. Faith is placed on the individual, who can act according to his
desires. Nevertheless, because the exercise of one’s freedom may clash with the person’s rights, individual
liberty is not without limitations.
The Civil Code of the Philippines contains provision that clearly illustrate the above principle. Article 19, 20, and
21 of the code provide:
Article 19. every person must, in the exercise of his rights and in the performance of his duties, act with justice,
give everyone his due, and observe honesty and good faith.

Article 20. Every person who, contrary to law, willfully or negligently causes damage to another, shall indemnify the
latter for the same.

Article 21. Any person who willfully causes loss or damage to another in a manner that is contrary to morals, good
customs, or public policy shall compensate the latter for the damage.
Reason
 Liberals think that individuals have the capacity to correctly decide matters concerning their interests.
Underlying this thought is the notion that critical analysis and reason can unravel the rational structure of the
world.
The liberal influence is shown in Section 2, Article II of the 1987 Constitution, which states:
Section 2. The Philippines renounces war as a instrument of national policy, adopts the generally accepted
principle s of international law as part of the law of the land and adheres to the policy of peace, equality ,
justice, freedom, cooperation, and amity with all nation.
Equality
Liberals are committed to political equality (one person, one vote; one vote, one value) and to legal equality
(equality before the law). Their commitment proceeds from the belief that at least in moral worth, all humans
are born on equal footing.
Tolerance
To liberals, toleration assures individual liberty and social enrichment. They believe that toleration is both a
guarantee of individual liberty and a means of social enrichment.
Consent
Consent or agreement forms the basis of social relationships and authority in the minds of liberals. The consent
of the governed is essential to the existence of governments. Because of this, liberals see the necessity for
representation and democracy.
Constitutionalism
The limited government that liberals advocate results from the diffusion of government power through the
check and balance mechanism among the various institutions of government. This mechanism government
abuses.
Constitutionalism therefore requires government respect for individual rights, such as the right to equal
protection of the laws, the right to suffrage, the right to form associations, the right to free exercise of religion,
the right to freedom of expression and peaceable assembly, the right against self-incrimination, the right to
travel, and the liberty of abode.
TYPES OF LIBERALISM
*Classical Liberalism
Is committed to an extreme form of individualism which underscores the self-interest and self-sufficiency of
human beings.
*Modern Liberalism
Holds that capitalism which is not subject to regulation will merely give rise to injustice.
*Thomas Hobbes and the Social Contract
Thomas Hobbes(1588-1679) was an English philosopher who tortured King Charles II of England. He wrote the book
Leviathan wherein he discussed the “social contract theory”. The Leviathan ‘s rise to power was occasioned by the social
contract between the people and the state wherein the people gave up the right to kill and steal in order to escape from
the chaos that characterized human life before the establishment of government
John Locke and the Limited Government
Western liberalism owes much to political philosopher John Locke who wrote Two Treatises of Government. He
rejected Hobbes’ idea of an all-powerful sovereign. In his view, it would be enough if the government have the
power to protect life and property. Locke’s concept of limited government unique is its recognition of natural
law, which antedated man-made law.
Conservatism
First emerged in the late 18th century and early 19th century. It is defined by the desire to preserve institutions
and is reflected in a resistance to, or at least suspicion of, change. The fragile "fabric society" can be protected
by preserving these institution and value.
Socialism
- is an ideology that stands in opposition to capitalism and proposes an alternative which more humane and
equitable. Competition produces division in society: some become rich, while most struggle to survive and
remain poor. The goal of socialism is to minimize or abolish these class division. EQUALITY is therefore
characterizes socialism.

POWER

In social science and politics, power is the ability to influence or outright control the behavior of people. The
term "authority" is often used for power perceived as legitimate by the social structure. Power can be seen as
evil or unjust, but the exercise of power is accepted as endemic to humans as social beings. In business,
power is often expressed as being "upward" or "downward". With downward power, a company's superior
influences subordinates. When a company exerts upward power, it is the subordinates who influence the
decisions of their leader or leaders.

The Nature of Power

Power can be defined in many ways. Most simply, it is the ability to get what you want, or as scholar Kenneth Boulding
said, power is "the ability to change the future." Some scholars make a distinction between three kinds of power-- "power
over," "power to" and "power with." "Power over" is the ability to dominate another person or group--as in "I have power
over him. This means, "I have the ability to make him do what I want him to do." Power-over usually comes from force
and threat. If the subordinate fails to do what he or she is asked to do, the dominant person will use force to make the
subordinate person comply.

"Power to" is the ability to do something on one’s own--it refers to one’s abilities. Sources of this kind of power are
intellect, resources, knowledge, stamina, etc. These resources give some people the power to accomplish things that others
cannot.

"Power with" is similar to "power to" in that it reflects ability, but "power with" is the ability to work with others to get
something done by cooperation. This is the power of consensus--the power of people working together to solve a common
problem.

These distinctions are similar to the ones made by Kenneth Boulding in his theory of power. Boulding said power has
three forms--threat, exchange, and love. Threat power is equivalent to "power over." Exchange power is the power of
negotiation--it is a form of "power with," as it requires another party to negotiate with. Love, Boulding argued, is also a
form of power. Although not often recognized as power, when people love each other, they do things to help the other
person, just because they love them, not for any particular reward or hope of exchange. This gives rise to what Boulding
calls "the integrative system"--the structure of bonds, of respect, of legitimacy that holds social groups and whole societies
together. This is the form of power that underlies persuasion--people can be persuaded to change their behavior if a
convincing argument can be made that corresponds with an opponent’s belief system (or changes that belief system
through love or respect).

Although most people tend to think of power only in terms of "power over," often the most effective conflict strategy is a
mix of all three types of power--what we have called the "power strategy mix." This involves the use of some force, some
exchange (or negotiation) and some persuasion. How much of each is best varies from one situation to the next, depending
on the people to be influenced and the nature of the problem itself.