THE CONNECTION BETWEEN POLITICS (THE PHENOMENON) AND POLITICAL

SCIENCE (THE METHOD OF INQUIRY).

1. Politics (from Greek word “politika” which means the affairs of the state) is the set of activities that are
associated with making decisions in groups or other forms of power relations between individuals. The affairs
can be in the economic, social, environmental, cultural and political aspects of the country.
The basic concepts of politics are order, power, and justice. The study of politics seeks to study how human life
in the aggregate is ORDERED firstly; as a community of individuals who shares a common identity; secondly,
as a government which is tasked to maintain and perpetuate the community.
Second concept of politics is power. With power, the government can maintain order, function properly as in
the delivery of public services. The concept of justice is served if exercised in the interests of the ruled or the
people.
2. Political Science is the study of politics. It deals with systems of governance and the analysis of political
activities, political thoughts, constitution, and political behavior. The nature, relationship and importance of
politics, governance, and government are explained by Political Science. The table below describes the
similarities and differences between Politics and Political Science.
TYPES DEFINITION SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES

Insights from the table presented above:

1. Politics could not exist without the theoretical foundation of Political Science and in turn, Political Science
would not exist without Politics.
2. Political Science deals with abstract ideas like forms and structure of government while Politics is the
concrete act of governing a country.
3. Both Politics and Political Science are not mutually exclusive as both focus on governance and refer to the
state of affairs of a country. The government and the structure of political systems are the subjects of both.
Government - refers to a group of people that has the power to rule in a territory like a country, provinces within
a country, or a region. The conduct of governmental functions is exercised by elected and appointed officials or
civil servants.
Government pursuant to the Constitution or set of fundamental principles makes laws, regulations, and policies
to ensure effective governance. The government is responsible for the people's well-being and happiness
through the delivery of social welfare, law and order, defense, and financial affairs of the country. The
existence of a government in whatever forms and the power and functions of officials are provided by
constitution and other laws. Essentially, the government of the Philippines which the constitution provides as
being democratic, republican, presidential and unitary comes to life upon the people’s consent through
approval by way of a referendum or plebiscite.
Governance involves the processes and institutions to produce results that meet the needs of the society. The
affairs of the government which are run by officials either as elected or appointed are put into real action
through governance. Governance entails the processes of decision making and the implementation of such
decision.
Here, governance is the act of steering, governing, or of directing and controlling a group of people or the
state. It involves complex processes whereby some sectors enact public policies processes which directly
affect human and institutional interaction for the common good.
INDICATORS OF GOOD GOVERNANCE
1. Participatory- that requires active participation of different sectors of society.
2. Rule of law – that the government is of law and not of men is a democratic principle which puts no one,
however rich or powerful, above the law.
3. Effectiveness and efficiency – an effective governance happens when the needs of society are met by the
different sectors while there is efficient governance when resources are utilized and not wasted.
4. Responsiveness – that the institutions and processes serve the people in a timely and appropriate manner.
5. Equity and inclusiveness – that all members of society, especially the most vulnerable ones must be taken
into consideration in policy making.
6. Transparency – that transactions involving public interests must be fully disclosed and made accessible to
the people.
7. Consensus-oriented – when decisions are made after taking into consideration the different viewpoints of
the people
8. Accountability – that every person or groups are responsible for their actions most especially when their acts
affect public interest.
TAKEAWAYS:
The relationships of these three terms can be inferred from the following:
1. Politics is with reference to the various affairs of the country or state affecting people’s lives whether
economic, social, cultural, religious, environmental or political.
2. Government refers to the different organs manned by people, either appointed or elected, to make the
policies and decisions.
3. Governance entails the processes of decision-making and the implementation of such decision.
4. The nature, relationship, and importance of these terms are inquired into by Political Science.

KINDS OF POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES

Ideology – refers to a system of ideas or ideals especially one which forms the basis of economic and political
policy of a group of people or the state. It is political ideology if the system of ideas, ideals, or principles form
the basis of the country’s political policies principally laid down by the provisions of the Constitution and other
laws.
KINDS OF POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES
1. LIBERALISM – is the belief in the importance of liberty (human freedom) and the rejection of arbitrary
authority. It finds its roots in the humanist affirmation of human excellence and individual responsibility.
Advocates/Contributors:
a. John Stuart Mill – best remembered of his “concept of negative freedom from constraints, particularly from
the state/government. -On Liberty
b. Thomas Hobbes – known for his idea about every person has natural right to do anything one thinks
necessary for preserving one’s own life.
His pessimistic view of human nature was, “Life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” – Leviathan
c. John Locke – stated that “men, by nature are free, equal and independent.” By use of reason, man knows
that he ought not to harm another’s life, health, liberty, or property. – The Second Treatise of Government.
d. Jean Jacques Rousseau – stated that “a truly free man is one with a “well-regulated freedom” developed
through education. Like Locke, he too believed that man by nature is good, however, his goodness is corrupted
by the maladies (problems) of societies. – The Social Contract
2. CONSERVATISM- emphasizes on the belief that the wisdom of the past is more likely to be right than the
fleeting trend of the moment. This is characterized by respect and preservation of wide range of institutions
such as religion, government, property rights, traditions, values, and morality.
Advocates / Contributors:
a. Edmund Burke – on his “concept of birth-right” which summarized his non-egalitarian point of view that
individuals do not have equal value to society; some are born to lead, to whom others not fit to rule, owe
allegiance.” - Reflection on the Revolution in France
3. SOCIALISM -is a belief which states that the means of production must be publicly owned. It calls for public
rather than private ownership or control of property and natural resources.
Advocates / Contributors:
a. Thomas Moore – he spoke of society free of money, wherein people share meals, houses, and other goods
in common. His book talked about an ideal place where people live in harmony and equality. – Utopia
b. Gerrard Winstantley – he led the fight for agrarian communism,believing that the earth is a common
treasury. – Diggers Movement
c. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels – the previous varied and vague concepts of socialism were realized when
their book laid down the principles of socialism – Communist Manifesto
To examine socialism on its core, the book “Communist Manifesto” written by Marx and Engels contained the
following concepts:
a. Historical materialism – Marx and Engels believed that the controlling forces of history are the material
forces or the central project of human history is the production and reproduction of material life. (material things
matter as these make people happy)
b. Class struggle – social history is a history of class struggles between the freeman and slave, patrician and
plebeian, lord and serf, oppressor and oppressed. After the downfall of feudalism saw the emergence of
capitalism (an economic system where private persons can freely own and operate businesses for profit). In
capitalism, society is divided into two (2) classes; the bourgeoisie (capitalists) who own and control the means
of production and the proletariat (workers or class of laborers) who live only so long as their labor increases
capital.
c. Nature of capitalism – Marx objected to the idea of capitalism or the bourgeoisie society as a form of
economy as it converted everyone like doctors, engineers, lawyers into paid wage-laborers. As the capitalists
(bourgeoisie) created more massive and more colossal productive forces and concentrating property into their
hands, the gap between them and the proletariat had widened.
d. Inevitability of socialism - The fall of capitalism and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable. Since
capitalism itself is the cause of its doom, it also creates and trains the proletariat, which at certain stage of
development, must overthrow capitalism (workers’ revolution) and replace it with socialism. Proletariats’ victory
entails the emergence of a classless society were everyone is equal and since it is private property or
ownership that constitutes division, then, the abolition of private property is proper.
e. Exploitation and alienation - Under capitalism, owners are in the position of dominance to increase their own
gain while workers become more impoverished as they are provided only the wages necessary to continue
production. In capitalism, man becomes alienated from his work as work becomes a routine, workers become
automatons and the quality of work is no longer important, as only quantity matters.
4. CAPITALISM – this is the economic aspect of liberalism which is the “free market economics”, where private
persons having sufficient capital in the form of money and equipment can engage in business activities for
profit.
Note: Laissez faire doctrine in capitalism – is an opposition to government’s intervention/interference into the
business affairs, or less the government is involved in the economy, the better the business will be. How do
government intervene? By enacting minimum wage laws, impose trade restrictions and product regulation, and
tax collection.
 OTHER FORMS OF POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES
Ideology – from French word ideologie, itself from Greek idea and logia (the study or science of ideas). This
word was coined by French Antoine Destutt de Tracy in 1796, which was meant to develop a rational system of
ideas. Essentially, this refers to system of ideas, ideals, principles, and policies that form the basis of an
economic or political policy of a group or state.
Other Kinds of Political Ideologies
1. ABSOLUTISM (either as absolute monarchy or a dictatorship) The Age of Absolutism (1550-1800) is
characterized by a monarch who is either a king or queen exercising total and complete control over the
country. The monarch held supreme autocratic authority, principally not being restricted by written laws,
legislature, or customs. It is the practice of unlimited centralized authority and absolute sovereignty vested in
the monarch.
Dictatorship is the other type of absolutism as has been applied to Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany, King Louis
XIV of France, and Julius Caesar to name a few. The three key components of absolutism are shown by the
following:
• by having a strong central government so that no one can stand in the way of the monarch’s policy making;
• having a strong military to deal with war either for its expansion or a response to invasion; and
• using the economic theory of mercantilism (to export more than import) to create a strong economy and
wealth for the country.
The all-encompassing powers of the monarch could also be traced to the “divine right theory of kings” along
with the concept of “mandate of heaven”, that the king is ordained to rule by God and not subject to any one.
This is characterized by ruler’s absolute domination in the political, cultural, civic life of his subjects. He/She
dominates the upper class, which in turn, dominates the lower class.
2. DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM
• The economic, social, and political ideology holding that society and the economy should be run
democratically and be dedicated to meeting the needs of the people.
• Democratic socialists advocate the transition of society from capitalism to socialism through existing
democratic processess rather than revolution.
• The delivery of services such as housing, utilities, mass transit, education, and health care is the prime duty
of the government.
• The Scandinavian model (practiced by Norway, Denmark and Sweden) of combining features of capitalism
( market economy ) with social benefits (state pensions, housing programs, public utilities, free education, and
health care services) best describes this ideology.
3. COMMUNISM
Is an economic, political, and social system in which most or all of the property and resources are collectively
owned by a classless society (no rich, no poor) rather than by individual citizens.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’ The Communist Manifesto became the synthesis of socialism as it integrated
and systematized varied socialist beliefs from Thomas Moore’s Utopia (an ideal place where people live in
peace, harmony and prosperity), to the Digger Movement led by Gerrard Winstanley who advocated of
agrarian communism arguing that the earth is a common treasury down to the exploitation of the workers
during the Industrial Revolution.
The Communist Manifesto can be divided into five concepts:
a. historical materialism – refers to the controlling forces of history are the material forces and especially those
of economic production;
b. class struggle – that the social history is a history of class struggles, as during the Industrial Revolution,
between the owners of means of production (bourgeoisie) and the laborers (proletariat);
c. nature of capitalism – created more massive and more colossal productive forces in the hands of the few
who could fall in the hands of the workers by way of a revolution;
d. inevitability of socialism - that the fall of capitalism and the victory of the proletariat are inevitable, the
emergence of a classless society and the abolition of private property; and,
e. and exploitation and alienation - as capitalists are driven by personal profit, the workers become exploited
and impoverished as they are provided only those wages necessary to continue production, and the work
becomes a routine as labor is no longer seen as an expression of creativity.