POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS he or she is recognized as the rightful or

legitimate ruler or leader.

POLITICS, POWER AND Examples -

 Principal enforcing rules
AUTHORITY
 President signing bills
Politics -- refers to activities through  Military commander giving orders
which people make, preserve, and  Mayor declaring curfew
amend the general rules under which  Monarch granting pardons
they live. It involves the dynamics of
conflict resolution and cooperation, as Consequently, as societies further
well as the exercise of power. progressed from bands to nations,
political structures and institutions
Examples - evolved in different forms. The
 Budget negotiations following are several trends that have
 Policy reform discussions been observed pertaining to the
 Trade agreements development of political structures and
 Campaigning for votes institutions throughout the centuries:
 Environmental legislation
1. Increased population density : As
more people live in a specific area, the
Power - refers to the ability to do need for organized governance grows to
something in order to achieve a manage resources, conflicts, and social
desired outcome. Hence, a person with order. This leads to the establishment
power has the capability to control of more complex political systems.
people or make them do something
that they would not do otherwise. 2. Large surplus of resources and
wealth: With more resources available,
Social scientists - emphasize the notion societies can support larger populations
that power involves a relationship-there and invest in infrastructure and
is one who exercises power and another governance. This surplus often leads to
who is subject to it. the rise of elite classes that control
wealth and power.
Examples -
 Parent disciplining child 3. Greater social inequality: As political
 Media influencing opinions structures develop, disparities in wealth
 Teacher assigning homework and power often emerge, creating
 Supervisor approving leave distinct social classes. This inequality
 can lead to tensions and demands for
Authority - is legitimate power. This reform.
means that a person who has authority
has the right to exercise power. More 4. Less reliance on kinship relations as
concretely, the exercise of authority basis of political structures: Societies
means that the person who exercises evolve from family-based systems to
power is obeyed by the people because more formal institutions, allowing for
broader participation and governance.
This shift helps create a structured and as a willingness to comply with a system
bureaucratic political environment. of rule regardless of how this is
achieved.
5. Increased internal and external
conflict: As societies grow and interact
with others, competition for resources Max Weber studied the transformation
and power can lead to conflicts both Of societies and observed that the
within and between groups. This often bases of legitimacy of rule vary in
necessitates stronger political different types of societies. He came up
structures to maintain order and with three types of authority:
security. traditional, charismatic, and legal-
rational. For Weber, there must be an
6. Increased power and responsibility explanation or justification why certain
of leaders: With larger and more men rise to positions of authority or
complex societies, leaders often gain superiority and why people obey them.
greater authority and must manage a Thus, the important question to be
wider range of issues. This can enhance asked is what makes a rule or a law
their ability to govern but also increases accepted and obeyed by people.
the expectations placed upon them.

7. Increased burden on the population Traditional Authority - In many

to support political leaders: As political societies, authority is based on a system
institutions expand, citizens may be that is believed to have "always
required to contribute more through existed." This is what is referred to as
taxes or labor to sustain leadership and traditional authority. Some people have
public services. This can create this type of authority because they
resentment if the population feels their inherited it or they occupy a position
needs are not being met. that has been passed on to them. The
legitimacy of this type of authority is
LEGITAMACY AND TYPES OF based on long-established customs and
AUTHORITY traditions that do not need to be
justified. Examples of traditional
Legitimacy - originated from the Latin authority are those exercised by elders
word legitimare which means “to in a tribe or an indigenous people's
declare lawful” and is broadly defined group as well as by monarchs who have
as “rightfulness” Legitimacy confers on inherited their power and authority.
an order or command an authoritative
or binding character, thus transforming Examples -
power into authority. Political  Kings and queens
philosophers treat legitimacy as a moral  Tribe leaders
or rational principle that is the ground  Bishops
on which governments may demand  Family patriarchs or matriarchs
obedience from citizens. The claim to
legitimacy is thus more important than
the fact of obedience.
Political scientists, however, usually see
legitimacy in sociological terms; that is,
Charismatic authority - is based on the  Mayor elected by voters.
presumed special and extraordinary
characteristics or qualities possessed by TYPES OF POLITICAL
a certain individual. People with ORGANIZATIONS AND
charisma are often very popular, highly
LEADERSHIP STRUCTURES
persuasive, and inspire loyalty and
obedience from other people. They are
also often seen as "born leaders" and Types of Political Organizations and
"heroes". Charisma is generally Leadership Structures
considered a gift or an innate quality
unique to a person, but there are also Anthropologists define political
instances when it can be manufactured organizations as "the groups within a
through the use of propaganda. culture that are responsible for public
However, charismatic authority is the decision-making and leadership,
most unstable type of authority as maintaining social cohesion and order,
leaders may eventually "lose" their protecting group rights, and ensuring
charisma when people's views safety from external threats."
regarding them change. Death or an
illness may also diminish the level of Examples -
charisma of a certain authority figure.  Political parties.
 Party coalitions
Examples -  bands
 Revolutionary Cuban leaders Fidel  chiefdoms
Castro and Che Guevara,  tribes
 Chinese revolutionary leader Mao
Tse Tung, Political dynasties - are thought to
 US President John F. Kennedy, have always existed, even in advanced
 UK Prime Minister Margaret democratic countries. A "dynasty"
Thatcher, refers to a lineage of rulers from the
 Philippine President Ramon same family. Therefore, relatives who
Magsaysay. maintain political power—specifically,
family members who continuously hold
Legal-rational authority - is the most elected positions—are classified as part
typical type of authority in modern of a political dynasty. On the other
societies. Power and authority in a hand, political clientelism, as defined
legal-rational context are legitimized by by Susan Stokes, involves exchanging
a clearly defined set of written rules and material goods for electoral support.
laws. Leaders can rightfully wield This relationship consists of two parties:
authority if they obtain their positions the patron (politician) and the client
according to established procedures (voter). Both of these political trends
such as elections or through remain significant challenges to the
appointment. Philippine political and leadership
system.
Examples-
 Judge ruling by law.
 CEO appointed by board.
 Police enforcing legal statutes.
The Industrial Revolution brought major Weber noted that the processes of
changes to society, particularly the rise bureaucratization and rationalization in
of the modern nation-state. While Western European societies resulted
"nation" and "state" are often used as if from industrialization. Bureaucracy,
they mean the same thing, they are meaning "rule by officials," is
actually different. characterized by rationality, rule-
governed behavior, and impersonal
A nation - is a group of people who conduct. This development led to more
share a common culture, history, and structured and efficient governance.
traditions, usually living in a specific
area. Another important change was political
liberalization, which refers to the rise of
A state - on the other hand, it is a democratic governments where people
political unit with sovereignty, meaning elect their leaders through formal
it has the legitimate and ultimate elections. This led to the creation of
authority to govern a territory and its political parties and promoted ideas like
people. political equality and the right to vote.
As a result, leadership became more
Not all nations are recognized as states, impersonal and based on laws,
and a state can include multiple nations. becoming the norm in many European
For example, Taiwan has its own countries.
government and claims independence
from China, but many countries do not However, not all countries experienced
recognize it as a separate state. these changes in the same way. For
Similarly, the Kurdish people are a example, in the Philippines, efforts to
nation that lives across several states, create political systems similar to those
including Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. in the United States did not result in the
same kind of democracy. This difference
States have organized governments is largely due to the unique political
with leaders who have legitimate power culture in each society, which shapes
and responsibilities, such as maintaining how people view political groups and
law and order, securing borders, the government. Political culture
handling international relations, and includes the beliefs and values people
managing social control. This is different learn about politics through their
from leaders in smaller groups like families and communities. Because of
bands or tribes, who have fewer this, the way bureaucracy works and
responsibilities. the principles of political liberalization
can vary greatly. In some cases,
personal relationships and clientelism
still play a role, as seen in the
Philippines where voters often choose
candidates they know personally or
who have helped them in the past.