SS01 4Q CO4-5

• Political institutions


  The source of power and authority in the society
• Starting in the 1600s, European philosophers began debating the question of who should govern a nation
• Bands


  • A group of nomadic individuals connected by family ties that move and camp together and live by hunting and gathering
  • Egalitarian
• Tribes


  • Led by headmen which are the most self-sufficient with regard to food and other basic necessities
  • Have limited leadership roles such as ensuring the security and survival of the tribe
  • Its members tend to settle in one place, and depend on horticulture and raising animals for their food
• Chiefdoms


  • A more formalized grouping forming a political organization headed by the chief
  • Autonomous political units comprised of a number of villages or communities under the permanent control of a paramount chief
  • The chief is usually the most senior or oldest in the group, holds power over more than one community or group
• States


  • A political or juridical entity controlled by a government which is chosen or formed by the people themselves
  • It has 4 components: people, territory, sovereignty and government
  • The state is sovereign which means that it should be free and independent from other countries without their interference on the internal affairs of the state
• Nation


  • An ethnic grouping composed of people united by ethnic origin, culture or language
  • A stable community of people formed on the basis of a common language, territory, history, ethnicity, or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture
• Political dynasty


  Where most of its members are into politics and is typically practiced by rich families
• Alliances


  In which political groups or families merge to consolidate their power
• Authority


  • The power to maintain public order and makes laws that are obeyed by the citizens
  • Includes the power to make and impose laws successfully
• Legitimacy

  A government is legitimate if it exists and operates according to a binding law
• Traditional rule


  Authority based on tradition, customs and practices such that transition from one another is based on heredity not on ability
• Charismatic rule


  Authority based on the charisma of the leader or his/ her ability to inspire and influence others
• Rational rule


  Based on legality and bureaucracy that compels members to comply because of the set of uniforms applies to all
• Religion


  • A social institution that provides and explains answers to questions that seem to be beyond human understanding
  • Anything beyond human and scientific comprehension
  • It explains why things happen making the ideas of birth and death clear and easier to understand
  • It is something that exists as time exists, but when it changed and tempered with, separated and ripped in different directions, it simply becomes an institution
  • Humans institutionalized things that they cannot trust or do not understand. It makes them feel as though they are in the box, and that they somehow have control over things
• Significance of religion in the society

  • Provides explanation about the unknown and some measure of certainty in an unknown world
  • It gives meaning and purpose to certain beliefs and provides people with a perspective for looking at the world
  • It integrates and maintains the fundamental form and the ultimate value of the supreme being to the subordinate
  • It allays the fears of individuals by reassuring them the care of their deity
  • Integrates functions and is a means of social cohesion or group solidarity
  • It performs welfare education and recreation functions
  • Serves as a means of control
  • It legitimizes the foundation of society's culture and integrates the value system of the society
• Animism


  • A belief that natural objects have souls that may exist aside from their material body and that these are capable of helping or harming human interest
  • Non-violence against all creatures
• Polytheism


  • A doctrine or belief in more than one god or many gods
  • It is divided into variety of domains and each domains has its own god like god of the sea, peace, mountain, war etc
  • A polytheist may say that there is one highest god with multiple lesser gods but this is contrary when God is considered as a Supreme being for lesser gods cannot be referred to as the Supreme Being
• Monotheism

  • A belief that there is only one god or in the oneness of god though it is not the oneness of god that is important but his uniqueness
  • One god is an expression of divine might or power
  • It cannot fully explain the answer to the question regarding the origin of the evil in a universe under the government of one god
• Article II, Section 6 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution - the free exercise and enjoyment of religion profession and worship
• Article III, Section 5 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution - provides that there should be no religious test required for the exercise of civil and political rights
• • Churches and religious institutions are tax-exempt
  • No money may be spent in support of any religion
  • No public funds should be appropriated for church or any activities
• Non-state institutions


  • The establishments that are not owned and controlled by the government
  • Some are for profit, while others are non-profit but serves a significant function in the society
• Banks


  Institutions offering financial services such as: safe-keeping of money, conversion of domestic currency to foreign currencies, lending of money with interests, acceptance of bills of exchange
• Corporations


  • Entities created and treated as individual persons under the law with legally enforceable rights such as: right to acquire debt and payout profits, hold and transfer property, enter into contracts, pay taxes, to sue and to be sued
  • A person may buy share of a corporation
  • This institution involves people who earn profits and benefits based on their shares in the company
• Cooperatives

  • A business owned and run jointly by members who share equal profit and benefits
  • Most cooperative starts as credit cooperatives where people agree to put up and share the same amount as initial capital, with an agreement that each must continuously contribute for their capital build-up
  • It encourage people to save and earn
  • As the assets grow over time, it may transform into multi-purpose cooperative
  • These organizations have members who earn equal profits and benefits as they provide equal shares in their initial capital
• Trade unions


  • An organization consisting of workers and union leaders, united to protect and promote their common interests
  • Their usual concerns includes: negotiation regarding wages and benefits, worker-employer relations, collective bargaining agreements
  • It serves as a venue for the airing and settling of grievances
  • An individual can bargain for themselves, but bargaining becomes more effective if workers are united
• Transnational advocacy groups


  • Groups that champion political, economic and social causes with the aim of empowering disadvantage minority groups
  • These groups take on advocacies that involve women's right, environmental protection, and international peace
  • It includes diverse group of national and international organizations that form ties to influence international policy and practice
• Development agencies


  • Local or international groups committed to pursuing specific developmental agenda for the state
  • An institution that helps provide relief efforts in times of calamities and promotes the economies of those that belong to poorer countries
  • AusAID, USAID, EuropAID – part of the government
  • UNDP –multilateral donors
  • Private voluntary and non-governmental organizations like ActionAid, Oxfam, World vision
  • International Committee of the Red Cross, sanction by Geneva Convention – provides humanitarian aid like emergency relief efforts in response to a natural disaster and development aid or foreign aid to help a country address poverty and achieve long-term and sustainable growth
• International organizations


  • Organizations that transcend national boundaries in terms of members, scope, presence and impacts
  • They can be governmental or non-governmental and operate internationally such as the United Nation, European Nation and World Health Organization
  • Their role is to help define the international agenda on international issues, settle disputes, and facilitate international cooperation
• Social stratification


  • A system by which members of society are ranked based on a certain hierarchy
  • It can be a form of inequality in which groupings of people are systematically ranked on the basis of their access to resources such as wealth, power, and prestige
  • It provides and identifies functions within the social structure
• Lower class


  • Employees, skilled or unskilled craftsmen, underemployed and indigent families whose incomes are meager and are therefore reliant on their salaries
  • In the Philippines, lower class can be classified as: poor - monthly income is less than ₱12,082, low-income class - monthly income is between ₱12,082 and ₱24,164
• Middle class


  • Professional people like doctors, lawyers, owners and managers of small businesses with comfortable lifestyles due to their relatively bigger income, and valuing education as the most important basis of social status
  • In the Philippines, middle class can be classified as: lower-middle-income class - monthly income is between ₱24,164 and ₱48,328, middle-middle-income class - monthly income is between ₱48,328 and ₱84,574, upper-middle-income class - monthly income is between ₱84,574 and ₱144,984
• Upper class


  • Elite families who are the most abundant and successful in their respective areas, owning the means of production and distribution of goods and services and valuing heritage over wealth
  • In the Philippines, upper class can be classified as: upper-income class (but not rich) - monthly income is between ₱144,984 and ₱241,640, rich - monthly income is above ₱241,640
• 1. income class


  Monthly income is between ₱12,082 and ₱24,164
• Middle class


  Professional people like doctors, lawyers, owners and managers of small businesses with comfortable lifestyles due to their relatively bigger income, and valuing education as the most important basis of social status
• Middle class in the Philippines

  • Lower-middle-income class - monthly income is between ₱24,164 and ₱48,328
  • Middle-middle-income class - monthly income is between ₱48,328 and ₱84,574
  • Upper-middle-income class - monthly income is between ₱84,574 and ₱144,984
• Upper class


  Elite families who are the most abundant and successful in their respective areas, owning the means of production and distribution of goods and services and valuing heritage over wealth
• Upper class in the Philippines


  • Upper-income class (but not rich) - monthly income is between ₱144,984 and ₱241,640
  • Rich - monthly income is ₱241,640 and above
• Caroline Schermerhorn was the daughter of a wealthy merchant and had colonial Dutch aristocracy on both sides of her family tree