Politics is defined as
- the science which has for its object the ascertainment of political facts and arrangement of them in systematic order as determined by the logical and causal relations who exist between them
- a branch of the social sciences dealing with the theory, organization, government and practice of the state
The roles of Politics
- To reshape or influence governmental structures or processes
- To influence or replace governmental office-holders
- To influence the formation of public policies
- To influence the implementation of public policies
- To generate public awareness of, and response to, governmental processes, personnel and policies
- To gain a place of influence or power within government
Political values
- People are to judge whether they are satisfied / not satisfied with the performance of the government
- People expect that power should be used in certain ways
- People evaluate power is used or misused
- People are to judge whether the resources of the country are properly and carefully utilized
- People expect good health care
- People expect equal opportunity in education and business
- People expect guaranteed jobs
- People expect justice and the rule of law
Scope of political science (Undertand politics from 4 perspectives)
- Political theory
- International relations (national security, diplomacy, international law, regional organizations, warfare)
- Comparative politics and government (executive, legislative and judicial bodies)
- Public administration (methods of managing and administrating government. Government needs trained personnel, for more cooperation and coordination, management and supervision, for more efficient performance of government functions and for better government organization)
Political party
Political party is a formal organization whose self-conscious, primary purpose is to place and maintain in public office persons who will control, alone or in coalition, the machinery of government.
Functions of political parties
1) A link between people and government
(the mechanisms through which the citizens’ needs and wishes are communicated to the government. Without parties, individuals would stand alone and ignored by government)
2) Aggregation of interests
a) Parties struggle to capture power, they strive to form order out of chaos.
b) Parties seek to widen the interests they represent and harmonize these with each other
c) Parties help interest groups moderate their demands
d) Parties help resolve interest group conflicts by aggregating their separate interests into a larger organization
(Political parties are coalitions of interest groups)
3) Political socialization
a) Ground for political training and enhance leadership
b) Leaders learn to speak, conduct meeting, carry out door-to-door campaign
4) Mobilization of voters
a) Parties use mass media to educate the people politically
b) To mobilize masses and to get them vote
5) Forming a government
a) Political parties try their best to win majorities, to form a government and remain in power
b) Political parties, then appoint people to high-level jobs in the executive departments, this allows the PM to implement the policy effectively. The PM can implement his policies without much delay
c) The party control of the government is not absolute, parties have to deal with established bureaucracies of government that have considerable power of their own
d) It is essential for parties to recruit winning candidates in the election and to identify people who will fill important positions in the government
6) Viable opposition
(oppose, criticize the policies and activities and act as a check and balance)
(a political party is different from interest group because a political party is the only organization that runs candidates for office under its label)
Pressure Groups
A pressure group or interest group
Is any collection of people organized to promote a goal they share or to resist some objective of government of other groups that somehow relates to the political process
A pressure group is define as:
- Is any voluntary organized group of individuals outside the governmental structure which attempts the nomination, appointments of government personnel, government administration and public policies
- They have a formal structure of organization
- They are able to aggregate and articulate interest
- They influence public policies
- They try to influence power rather than exercise the responsibility of government themselves
Types of pressure groups
1) Associational pressure group
- Trade associations
- Labor unions
- Professional body
- Farmers groups
2) Non-associational pressure group
- Religious group
- Ethnic groups
- Non-smoker groups
3) Institutional groups
- Government bureaucracies
- Members of armed forces
- Members of Parliment
4) Anomic groups
- Hindraf (born due to oppose to specific policies)
The Roles/Contributions of Pressure Group
1. A mechanism for political representation. The people’s interests are well represented in a political system in an organized way.
2. Allows the political process to be more responsive.
3. Plays the role of a mediator between people and the government. Help the administrators or legislators to secure information on facts and attitudes.
4. Supplement the government agencies.
5. Each citizen may be weak as an individual, it may be difficult for an individual to put his/her demands or grievances, but through an association individual become strong.
6. Prevents the concentration of power.
Methods of influence strategy and tactics
Direct methods
a) By seeking the election of like-minded representatives
b) By seeking access to public officials
c) By mounting mass-media campaigns.
Indirect methods
a) MP are also members of the group
b) Bureaucrats spouse are members of the group
c) Part-time trade representative who have continuous access to political representatives or ministers
d) Retired bureaucrats join NGOs, private companies
Make use of Politics in a right way
Understand how politics work
- Exists because we do not agree with one another
- Is about choosing between competing interests and views often demanding incompatible allocation of limited resources
- Is about trying to get what you want for yourself, or alongside others, for a common cause.
- Is about reaching a compromise, and finding ways for those who disagree to rub along with one another.
Politics matters because
- There are conflicts and differences of perspective in society about when to do, what resources to collect for public use and how those resources should be spent.
- If everyone agreed we should value the environment and the future of the earth there would be plenty of scope for disagreement about what to do, what course of action to take and at what level of urgency.
- So if people agree about the goal there remain a lot of arguments to be had about the means to achieve the goal. A lot of collective decision making involves redistribution, and so politics can involve intense arguments about who gets what.
- Politics always involve regulation or intervention that passes costs on to some rather than others. And in the details of implementation – the way that a policy is put into effect – there is plenty of scope for further differences of opinion and interest.
Politics is important
- It reflects the tensions created when human beings rub up against each other and at times it does more than just express those conflicts, it finds a way of settling them.
Politics – is one of the ways we know of how to address and potentially patch up the disagreements that characterize our societies without course to illegitimate coercion or violence.
Politics – especially in democratic societies, enables people to compromise and reach an agreement. It is a means to orderly and legitimate self-rule.
Politics – can provide a means of getting on with your fellow human beings that aims to find a way forward through reconciliation and compromise without recourse to straight forward coercion or outright violence.
Politics in right use
- It provides a way to live in an ordered manner with your neighbors, but one that unavoidably often calls on you to sign up to deals and compromises that might not be yours first or even tenth choice, but which nevertheless have something in them that enables you to put up with them.
- It might not be very inspiring. But, when it works politics delivers one great benefits
- It enables you to choose, within constraints, the life you want without fear of physical coercion and violence being used against you
- Create space for human choices and diverse lifestyles, create positive context and stable environment for you to live your life.
