Prelim

• B. Pomton and P. Gill, 1982: 'Politics is the way in which we understand and order our social affairs, and acquire greater control over the situation'
• Politics


  Behavior within civil governments, social relations involving authority or power, the regulation of political units, and the methods used to formulate and apply social policy
• Since the time of Plato and Aristotle, the great issues of politics have revolved around the organization and functioning of the state
• Tuibeo, 1998: 'Politics as the strategy for maintaining cooperation among people with different needs and ideals in life, or for resolving the conflict within the group'
• A disagreement in which incompatible policies are advocated can only be resolved ultimately by one side obtaining the power to make its viewpoint prevail over the other
• S. G. Richards, 1978: '“Politics exists because people disagree about the aims and objects of human endeavor and, probably even more so, about the methods to be used in achieving them”'
• Traditional approach to the study of political science combines views on and orientations to politics in philosophical, ethical, and institutional terms
• Political science focuses on the theory and practice of government and politics at different levels
• Political Science deals with the systematic study of political structures, political processes, and political behavior
• The acquisition of power is a prerequisite of achieving political objectives
• Politics involves conflict and can result in violence, but in Western democracies, differences are usually resolved peacefully
• Traditional approaches to the study of political science

  • Philosophical
  • Historical
  • Institutional
  • Legal
• Political science is a classical discipline that deals with the study of political phenomena
• Harold Lasswell, 1936: 'Politics--Who Gets What, When, and How'
• Behavioral Approach


  • Mainly emphasizes on scientific, objective and value-free study of political phenomenon
  • Stresses the use of empirical and scientific methods to study political behavior
  • Shifts emphasis from the study of the state and government to the day-to-day problems, activities, and behavior of individuals and groups
• Characteristics of the Behavioral Approach

  • Regularities
  • Verification
  • Techniques
  • Quantification
  • Values
  • Systematization
  • Pure Science
  • Integration
• Reasons to care about politics
• Importance of Politics in Society
• Etymology of Governance


  The word “governance” came from the Latin verb “gubernare,” or more originally from the Greek word “kubernaein,” which means “to steer”
• Definition of Governance


  The exercise of power or authority by political leaders for the well-being of their country’s citizens or subjects
• Governance


  The manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country's economic and social resources for development
• Institutional Approach


  • Concerned with the study of formal structures and institutions like legislature, executive, judiciary, political parties, etc.
• Approaches to Political Science

  • Institutional
  • Legal
  • Behavioral
• Characteristics of Good Governance

  • Participatory
  • Rule of Law
  • Effective and Efficient
  • Transparent
  • Responsive
  • Equitable and Inclusive
• Legal Approach


  • Concerned with the legal process, legal bodies or institutions, justice and independence of judiciary
• Bertolt Brecht: '“The worst illiterate is the political illiterate, he doesn’t hear, doesn’t speak, nor participates in the political events..."'
• Importance of Politics and Government
• Participation


  1. Active involvement of all affected and interested parties in the decision-making process

  2. Requires an enabling environment for effective dissemination of pertinent information and truthful responses

  3. Includes gender equality and recognition of the vital roles of both men and women in decision-making
• Transparency

  1. Openness to information regarding decision-making process and its implementation

  2. Information on public concerns made available to citizens

  3. Transactions involving public interests must be fully disclosed and accessible
• Rule of law

  1. Expresses people's will and exercise of sovereignty through the law

  2. Government is of law and not of men, putting no one above the law

  3. Demands habitual obedience to the law and government acting within prescribed limits
• Responsiveness


  1. Institutions and processes serving all stakeholders in a timely and appropriate manner

  2. Actors and structures of governance giving genuine expression to the will of the people

  3. Interests of all citizens must be well protected for them to appreciate and take part in governance
• The modern term "state" is derived from the word "status"
• Effectiveness and efficiency

  1. Requires institutions, processes, and actors to deliver and meet society's necessities efficiently

  2. Different actors meeting society's needs indicates effective governance

  3. Utilization of valuable resources without waste or underutilization signifies efficient governance

  4. Effectiveness and efficiency must go together for the best possible results
• Characteristics of Good Governance are inextricably related to each other
• Characteristics of Good Governance

  • Participatory
  • Rule of Law
  • Effective and Efficient
  • Transparent
  • Responsive
  • Equitable and Inclusive
  • Consensus-Oriented
  • Accountability
• Accountability


  1. Answerability or responsibility for one's actions

  2. Every person or group is responsible for their actions, especially when affecting public interest

  3. Obligation to explain and be answerable for consequences of decisions and actions made on behalf of the community
• Consensus-oriented


  1. Decisions made after considering different viewpoints of society's actors

  2. Mechanisms for conflict resolution in place to address competing interests

  3. Establishment of a strong, impartial, and flexible mediation structure to reach compromises and broad consensus
• Equity and inclusiveness

  1. All members of society, especially the vulnerable or grassroots level, must be considered in policy-making

  2. No one should feel alienated from society, and grassroots level should have the opportunity to participate in decision-making
• The state is the most universal and most powerful of all institutions
• State by James W. Garner


  • A state is a community of persons, more or less numerous, permanently occupying a definite portion of territory, having a government of their own to which the great body of inhabitants render habitual obedience, and enjoying freedom from external control