Download What is Politics?

Political decisions are public and authoritative
Often impacts social climate/atmosphere
Impacts public & private sphere
Authoritative – holds authority over people, often by coercion (force &
monetary means)
WHAT IS POLITICS?
Politics is…..
• Activities associated with the control of public
decisions among a given people in a given
territory where control is backed by coercive
and authoritative means.
Governments & the State of Nature
• Government – organization of individuals who
are legally empowered to make binding
decisions on behalf of a particular community
State Types
• Night Watchman State – government provides
basic law & order, defense and property
protection, but little else (limited government,
19th century)
• Police State – seen in authoritarian government,
esp. communist & facist
• Welfare State – programs of social welfare,
unemployment, insurance, pensions, etc.
• Regulatory State – similar to welfare state but
with stricter regulations
State of Nature
• Condition if no government existed
• Thomas Hobbes – felt state of nature was
chaos & conflict; government provided order
& control
• Jean-Jacques Rosseau – felt state of nature
was ideal; government corrupted society
• John Locke – in the middle; felt government
was necessary for protection, etc. but favored
a limited government
Why governments?
• Community & Nation Building – stability, peace, a
common culture
• Security & Order – protect from internal &
external attacks
• Protection – property and social & political rights
• Promote Economic Efficiency & Growth – public
& private goods, limit market failures
(monopolies & externalities)
• Social Justice – redistribute wealth & resources,
protect the weak; often controversial
Problems of Government
• Critics – anarchists, libertarians
• Destruction of Community (economic or
political reasons)
• Basic Rights Violations
• Economic Inefficiency – restrictions,
governmental monopolies, etc.
• Private Gain – rent seekers are people who
use political pursuit for private gain
Political Systems
• Political system must have
– Set of interdependent parts
– Boundaries towards outside environment
Political Systems Are…
• Set of institutions that formulate & implement
the collective goals of society or of groups in
society (legislative bodies, interest groups,
courts, etc.)
• Shaped by Domestic and International
Environment
• More successful with higher legitimacy
• A collection of related and interacting
institutions and agencies
States
• A state is a political system that has
sovereignty (right to govern)
• Political systems are referred to as “states”
Internal & External Sovereignty
• Internal Sovereignty – deals with matters of
citizens
• External Sovereignty – deals with matter of
other states
Nation - States
• Nation – State – national identification & legal
authority coincide
• Approx. 200 independent states exist today
• Old states (pre WW2) were mostly European
• New states (post WW2) are mainly African and
post-Soviet Union
Classification System
• 1st world – capitalist democracy
• 2nd world – communist (mainly Soviet)
• 3rd world – remaining states that weren’t rich,
western or communist
• 4th world – lack of resources, appear doomed
• Terms are outdated
• Today we use…..
– North States – rich, capitalist democracies
– South States – developing states
Challenges for all States
• Building community
• Fostering economic, social & political
development
• Securing a democracy and civil liberties
Building Community
• Nation – group of people with a common
identity (language, history, race, culture)
• Most states are multi-national (can be
culturally diverse or explosive with conflict)
• Ethnicity – similar in language, culture or
physical traits
• Language – approx. 5000 languages today
– 8 world languages
Building Community (cont.)
• 8 world languages are: English, Spanish,
Arabic, Russian, Portugese, French, German &
Chinese
• Religion plays a role
– Iran is a theocratic regime
– Christianity is largest religion, Islam is fastest
growing
– Religious fundamentalism is on the rise (reject
modern testaments/views)
Political Cleavages
• Political cleavage is when national, ethnic,
linguistic & religious divisions effect policy
• Cumulative cleavages are when the same
people oppose one another on many issues
• Cross cutting cleavages are when groups with
a common interest on issue are on opposite
sides of another issue
• Cumulative cleavages are more destructive
Fostering Development
• Political systems must have economic
development to satisfy citizens
• Rich & poor countries differ in health,
education, media and industry
• Many states have internal economic inequality
• Environment has suffered from
industrialization, economic development &
population growth
Measuring the Economy
• Gross National Product (GNP) – output per
person that is a citizen of a nation, regardless
of where they live (most common)
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – output per
person in a nation, regardless of where they
are from
• Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) – measures
price levels of nations; most accurate
Democracy, Human Rights & Civil
Liberties
• Democracy – leaders are elected in free and fair
elections; citizens have basic rights & freedoms
• Authoritarian – leaders are chosen by birth,
military councils, parties, etc. (no citizen input)
– Oligarchy is rule by the few; rights withheld from
people
– Totalitarian is withholding rights in a severe manner
Samuel Huntington
• Samuel Huntington’s “3rd Wave of
Democratization”
– 1st wave was after WW1
– 2nd wave was after WW2
– 3rd wave started in mid-1970’s
– Democracy is fastest growing political system
Challenges to Building a Democracy
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Environmental issues
Economic inequality
Ethnic differences
Religious differences