Lesson 1 : POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PHILIPPINES AS A NATION-STATE

Politics has always been an intriguing topic since the ancient times. Although no formal
governing bodies are established centuries ago, the ability and right to control and govern a
certain territory is so powerful due to its capability to affect the way of living in that society. Old
civilizations tend to prosper and survive with the help of a resilient and smart governance of its
people and resources.

The Philippines, as a nation with its own political government, also faced numerous
political dilemmas even before the actual establishment of the first Philippine Republic. History
constantly reminds the struggles of the Filipino heroes in order to attain the freedom that our
country has at present. However, it also reminds that tyrants are not limited among foreign
colonists. Oppressors could also take form as power hungry politicians that could endanger the
democracy that the Filipinos are currently having. This is why being aware and knowledgeable of
political science, politics and the constitution itself is vital for Filipinos to know when and how
political boundaries and rights are breached.

LESSON OBJECTIVES:

By the end of this lesson, the students must be able :

• To understand the basics of political science including terms related to it;
• To differentiate the idea of a nation and a state;
• To recognize how the elements (population, territory, government and sovereignty)
make up a state;
• To distinguish the differences between power, authority and influence, between the
different kind of authority and be able to differ political science from other branches.

LESSON MATERIALS

Political Science

Political science, as stated in Sailor Academy (2019), is an academic discipline that deals
with the study of government and political processes, institutions, and behaviors. Political science
falls into the academic and research division known as the social sciences. Social sciences study
the human aspects of the world—human-made constructs and structures. Disciplines in the social
sciences include: psychology, the study of the human mind and human behavior; sociology, the
study of society and the relationships within it; communications, the study of the flow of
discourse through media; economics, the study of the allocation of resources; and history, the
chronology, analysis, and interpretation of past events.

Political science is important because politics is important. Politics is the study of power—
what it is, who gets it, and how. This power can be as modest as a city council making
budgetary choices over municipal services and personnel, or it can be as significant as two world
sup erpowers on the brink of all-out nuclear war. According to one prominent political scientist
"the study of political science is motivated by the need to understand the sources and
consequences of political stability and revolution, of repression and liberty, of equality and
inequality, of war and peace, of democracy and dictatorship." The study of political science
reveals that the world of politics, along with its institutions, leaders, and citizens, is a complex and
far-reaching one.

Sub-disciplines of Political Science

Comparative Politics

Comparative politics involves the study of the politics of different countries.

Political scientists compare countries that are culturally, politically, and linguistically
dissimilar. These comparisons are often motivated by the need to develop and test
theories—for example, theories of why revolutions happen. This may lead political
scientists to discover commonalities between countries that are widely separated and
appear very different.

International Relations

International relations is the study of the interactions between nations,

international organizations, and multinational corporations. There are two traditional
approaches used by international-relations scholars—realism and liberalism. Realism
emphasizes the danger of the international system, where war is always a possibility and
the only source of order is the balance of power. Liberalism is more idealistic and
hopeful, emphasizing the problem-solving abilities of international institutions such as
the United Nations, NATO, and the World Trade Organization. According to many
scholars, after the Soviet Union dissolved and the Cold War ended in 1991, the balance
of opinion briefly shifted in favor of liberalism, but realists were quick to point to the
potential for future international conflicts.

Political Theory

Political theory involves the study of philosophical thought about politics from
ancient Greece to the present. Political theory is concerned with the fundamental
questions of public life. It addresses such issues as the nature of political authority, the
relationship of the state to the individual, and citizens' obligations and responsibilities to
one another. Political theory seeks to interpret abstract concepts such as liberty, justice,
human rights, and power, and so in doing it draws upon classics in the field—by, for
example, Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, David Hume, Thomas
 Jefferson, James Madison, and John Stuart Mill. Many scholars use these classics to help
them fully understand present-day issues such as terrorism, civil rights and liberties, and
domestic and foreign policy.)

Public Administration

Public administration is the art, science, and practice of effectively managing

government. It also includes the study of public financing and budgeting systems, public
management, human resources, public-policy analysis, nonprofit management, and
urban planning. In addition, Mosher et al. (2013), elucidated that it is the
implementation of public policies and the planning, organizing, directing, coordinating
and controlling of government operations. Within nations, public administration is
practiced at the central, intermediate and local levels. The body of public administrators
is usually called the civil service.

Public Policy

Public policy, according to Sailor Academy (2019) involves the study of specific
policy problems and governmental responses to them. Political scientists involved in the
study of public policy attempt to devise solutions for problems of public concern. It
includes issues such as health care, pollution, crime, welfare, and the economy. Public
policy is about problem solving, designing and implementing strategies, and evaluating
outcomes.

Political Behavior

Political behavior involves the study of how people participate in political

processes and respond to political activity. The field emphasizes the study of voting
behavior, which can be affected by social pressures; the effects of individual psychology,
such as emotional attachments to parties or leaders; and the rational self- interests of
voters. The effects of gender, ethnicity, religion, income, and the media are also factors
in analyzing political behavior. The results of these studies are applied during the
planning of campaigns and elections, and influence the design of advertisements and
political-party platforms.

Concept of Power and Authority

Power is frequently defined by political scientists as the ability to influence the

behavior of others with or without resistance. Power can be seen as evil or unjust, but
the exercise of power is accepted as endemic to humans as social beings. The use of
power need not involve coercion, force or the threat of force. It can be exercised
 through persuasion, offer of rewards, granting of rewards, threat of punishment,
infliction of non-violent punishment, and command from a person in authority, use of
force, domination and manipulation. At one extreme, power closely resembles what
English speakers call “influence”, although some authors make a distinction between
the two.

Influence, on the other hand, is the ability to affect decisions through persuasion
and has the same relational attributes as power. However, the exercise of power
depends upon potential use of sanctions, while influence depends largely on persuasion.

Power may derive from a number of sources, including social class (material wealth
can equal power), resource currency (material items such as money, property, food),
personal or group charisma, ascribed power (acting on perceived or assumed abilities,
whether these bear testing or not), social influence of tradition (compare ascribed
power), etc.

With these, power is classified into different types:

• Political power
• Economic power
• Military power
• Religious power

Authority is the legitimate or socially approved use of power that a person or a

group holds over another. Legitimacy is vital to the notion of authority. It is the main
means by which authority is distinguished from more general notions of power. It is also
associated with a hierarchy of human relationships, which enables those higher to
command those lower in the hierarchy, and which compels those lower in the hierarchy
to obey the command of those in higher position. Power can be exerted by the use of
force or violence. Authority, by contrast, depends on subordinate groups consenting to
the use of power wielded by superior groups.

Max Weber, in his sociological and philosophical work, identified and distinguished
three types of legitimate domination (“Herrschaft” in German, which generally means
‘domination’ or ‘rule’). These have sometimes been translated to English as types of
authority, because domination is not seen as a political concept. Weber defined
domination (authority) as the chance of commands being obeyed by a specifiable group
of people. Legitimate authority is that which is recognized as legitimate and justified by
both the ruler and the ruled.
 • Rational-legal authority. It is a form of authority with legitimacy that depends on
formal rules and established laws of the state, which are usually written down and are
often very complex.
• Traditional authority. It is a type of authority that derives from long-established
customs, habits, and social structures. When power passes from one generation to
another, it is known as traditional authority.
• Charismatic authority. It is authority legitimized on the basis of a leader’s
exceptional personal qualities, or the demonstration of extraordinary insight and
accomplishment, which inspire loyalty and obedience from followers.

Weber states that legitimacy distinguishes authority from coercion, force, power,
leadership, persuasion, and influence. Superiors, he states, feel that they have a right to
issue commands; subordinates perceive an obligation to obey. The degree to which these
rights and obligations are felt is based on the perceived legitimacy of the authority. A well-
established, respected, democratically elected government typically wields more authority
than an ad hoc, temporary, or corrupt government.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POWER AND AUTHORITY

POWER AUTHORITY

• Ability to command and Influence • It is legal right to command

behaviour of another • It lies in position in an organization
• It rests with person in their capacity • It is hierarchical in nature
• It doesn’t follow any hierarchy • Authority is institutional
• Power is personalized cannot be • Based on superior-subordinate
delegated relationship
• Power emerges because of personal • Authority is attached to position
factors
• Power has no relation to position

State and Nation Defined

A State is an independent, sovereign government exercising control over a certain spatially

defined and bounded area, whose borders are usually clearly defined and internationally
recognized by other states (Flint, 2016).

1. States are tied to territory

o Sovereign or state as absolute ruler over territory
 o Have clear borders
o Defends and controls its territory within those borders
o Is recognized by other countries (diplomatic recognition, passports, treaties, etc.)
2. States have bureaucracies staffed by state’s own personnel
o Has a national bureaucracy staffed by government personnel (legal system, educational
system, hierarchical governmental units, etc.)
3. States monopolize certain functions within its territory (sovereign)
o Controls legitimate use of force within its territory
o Controls money at national scale (prints currency; collects taxes)
o Makes rules within its territory (law, regulations, taxes, citizenship, etc.)
o Controls much information within its territory

A nation is a group of people who see themselves as a cohesive and coherent unit based on
shared cultural or historical criteria. Nations are socially constructed units, not given by nature.
Their existence, definition, and members can change dramatically based on circumstances.
Nations, in some ways, can be thought of as “imagined communities” that are bound together by
notions of unity that can pivot around religion, ethnic identity, language, cultural practice and so
forth. The concept and practice of a nation work to establish who belongs and who does not
(insider vs. outsider). Such conceptions often ignore political boundaries such that a single nation
may “spill over” into multiple states. Furthermore, states is not equal to nations: not every nation
has a state (e.g., Kurds; Roma; Palestine). Some states may contain all or parts of multiple nations.

A Nation-State is the idea of a homogenous nation governed by its own sovereign state—
where each state contains one nation. State is a political concept while nation is the ethnic
concept.

POLITICAL CONCEPT ETHNIC CONCEPT

• It is a legal political entity • Ethnic cultural system

• People organized by law within a • People joined by common will
definite territory • Nation might not be sovereign
• A state must be sovereign • Inhabited by homogeneous group
• Inhabited by heterogeneous group of • May be made up of several states
people
• May be composed of several nations
Elements of a State

Ghal, 2020 explained that a state is identified with its four absolutely essential
elements:

1. Population:

State is a community of people. It is a human political institution. Without a

population there can be no State. Population can be more or less but it has to be there.
The people living in the State are the citizens of the State. They enjoy rights and freedom
as citizens as well as perform several duties towards the State. When citizens of another
State are living in the territory of the State, they are called aliens. All people, citizens as
well as aliens, who are living in the territory of the State are bound to obey the state laws
and policies. The State exercises supreme authority over them through its government.

There is no definite limit for the size of population essential for a State. However,
it is recognized that the population should be neither too large nor very small. It has to be
within a reasonable limit. It should be determined on the basis of the size of the territory
of the State, the available resources, the standard of living expected and needs of defense,
production of goods and supplies.

2. Territory:

Territory is the second essential element of the State. State is a territorial unit
therefore territory is its essential component. A State cannot exist in the air or at sea. The
size of the territory of a State can be big or small; nevertheless it has to be a definite, well-
marked portion of territory. The whole territory of the state is under the sovereignty or
supreme power of the State. All people, organizations, associations, institutions and places
located within its territory are under the sovereign jurisdiction of the State.

Furthermore, it must be noted that the territory of the state includes not only the
land but also, rivers, lakes, canals ,inland seas and if any, a portion of coastal sea—
territorial waters or maritime belt, continental shelf, mountains, hills and all other land
features along with the air space above the territory.

3. Government:

Government is the organization of the State which makes, implements, enforces

and adjudicates the laws of the state. It is the third essential element of the State. The
state exercises its sovereign power through its government. This sometimes creates the
impression that there is no difference between the State and Government. However it
must be clearly noted that government is just one element of the State. It is the agent or
the working agency of the State. Sovereignty belongs to the State; the government only
uses it on behalf of the State.

Each government has three organs (to be discussed further on next lessons):

(1) Legislature—which formulates the will of State i.e. performs law-making

functions;

(2) Executive— enforces and implements the laws i.e. performs the law-
application functions; and

(3) Judiciary—which applies the laws to specific cases and settles the disputes i.e.
performs adjudication functions.

In ancient times, the King used to perform all functions of the government and all
powers of governance stood centralized in his hands. Gradually, however, the powers of
King got decentralized and these came to be exercised by these three organs of the
government: Legislature, Executive and Judiciary.

Each of these three organs of the government carries out its assigned functions.
Independence of Judiciary is also a settled rule. The relationship between the Legislature
and Executive is defined by law and it corresponds to the adopted form of government.
In a Parliamentary form of government, like the one which is working in India and Britain,
the legislature and executive are closely related and the latter is collectively responsible
before the former.

In the Presidential form, as is in operation in the U.S.A., the legislature and

executive are two independent and separate organs with stable and fixed tenures, and
the executive is not responsible to legislature. It is directly responsible to the people.

Government is an essential element of State. However it keeps on changing after

regular intervals. Further, Government can be of any form—Monarchy or Aristocracy or
Dictatorship or Democracy. It can be either Parliamentary or Presidential or both. It can
be Unitary or Federal or of mixture of these two in its organization and working. In
contemporary times every civilized State has a democratic representative, responsible
transparent and accountable government.

4. Sovereignty:
 Sovereignty is the most exclusive element of State. State alone possess
sovereignty. Without sovereignty no state can exist. Some institutions can have the first
three elements (Population, Territory and Government) but not sovereignty.

State has the exclusive title and prerogative to exercise supreme power over all its
people and territory. In fact, Sovereignty is the basis on which the State regulates all
aspects of the life of the people living in its territory.

As the supreme power of the State, Sovereignty has two dimensions:

Internal Sovereignty and External Sovereignty.

(i) Internal Sovereignty:

It means the power of the State to order and regulate the activities of all
the people, groups and institutions which are at work within its territory. All these
institutions always act in accordance with the laws of the State. The State can
punish them for every violation of any of its laws.

(ii) External Sovereignty:

It means complete independence of the State from external control. It also

means the full freedom of the State to participate in the activities of the
community of nations. Each state has the sovereign power to formulate and act
on the basis of its independent foreign policy.

We can define external sovereignty of the State as its sovereign equality

with every other state. State voluntarily accepts rules of international law. These
cannot be forced upon the State. A state, Philippines for example, is free to sign or
not to sign any treaty with any other state. No state can force it to do so.

These are the four essential elements of a State. A State comes to be a state only when it
has all these elements. Out of these four elements, Sovereignty stands accepted as the most
important and exclusive element of the State.

Necessity of the State:

1. State is the Natural Institution:

Man is a social animal. His nature and necessities compel him to live in
society and enter into social relations with others. He is by nature a gregarious
animal. He always wants to live and remain in the company of fellow human
 beings. State is needed by him for providing security law and order as well as for
punishing all criminals and anti-social elements.

2. State is a Social Necessity:

When man lives in the company of others, he naturally develops social

relations with other human beings. He forms family and several other groups. He
gets involved in a system of relations. He inherits several relations and throughout
his life remains bound up with these.

Further, his physical and economic necessities always force him to form
economic trade and cultural relations. He and his society need security for their
life, property and relations. The state serves this need, by protecting the society
from internal and external dangers.

3. Economic Necessity of State:

In each society, people needs the state because it provides currency and
coinage for the conduct of economic business and trade relations. State
formulates and implements all financial policies and plans for the benefit of all the
citizens. It provides financial help to the poor and weaker sections of society. By
providing security law and order, the state helps the people to carry out their
economic relations and activities.

4. State secures Peace, Security and Welfare of all in Society:

Social relations continuously need peace, security and order. Man is a

social being. However, along-with it, some selfishness is also a part of his being. At
times, selfishness of some people can cause some difficulties and harm to others.
This is prevented by the state. While living in society, man needs protection for his
life and property. This is provided by the state.

5. State is needed for Protection against War and External Enemies:

State is needed for getting protection and security against external

aggressions, wars and internal disturbances and disorders. It maintains defense
forces for fighting external wars and works for the elimination of terrorism and
violence.

Political culture

A Political Culture is a set of attitudes and practices held by a people that shapes their
political behavior. It includes moral judgments, political myths, beliefs, and ideas about what
makes for a good society. It is a reflection of a government, but it also incorporates elements of
history and tradition that may predate the current regime. Political cultures matter because they
shape a population’s political perceptions and actions. Governments can help shape political
culture and public opinion through education, public events, and commemoration of the past. It
varies greatly from state to state and sometimes even within a state. Generally speaking,
however, political culture remains more or less the same over time.

In 1963, two political scientists, Gabriel Almond and Sydney Verba, published a study of
the political cultures associated with five democratic countries: Germany, Italy, Mexico, the
United Kingdom, and the United States. According to Almond and Verba, there are three basic
types of political culture, which can be used to explain why people do or do not participate in
political processes.

• Parochial : citizens are mostly uninformed and unaware

of their government and take little interest in the
political process
• Participant: citizens are informed and actively participate in the political
process
• Subject: citizens are somewhat informed and
aware of their government and occasionally
participate in the political process

RESOURCES:

• Saylor (2020), Political Science, Retrieved From:

https://learn.saylor.org/mod/page/view.php?id=10917
• https://www.sparknotes.com/us-government-and-politics/political-
science/political-culture-and-public- opinion/section1/