Introduction: The

Concepts of POLITICS
and GOVERNANCE
• denotes a social activity
• is the creation, maintenance and amendment of social norms or rules. - an art and
science of the government.
• the realm of public affairs or the state.
• Accdg. to Plato, POLITICS is the study of affairs of the Polis (city- state),which he defined
as the most sovereign and inclusive association
• Accdg to Robert Dahl, POLITICS is the existence of rules or authority within the state.
• it is therefore the study of POWER relationship among the people in a given society as
well as those relationships among states in the internal community . (Lazo, 2009) - The
exercise of power, the science of government, the making of collective decisions, the
allocation of scarce resources and the practice of deception and manipulation.
 POLITICS
• Originated from the word :POLIS – city-state POLITES – citizens POLITIKOS –
government officials
As a concept, it is associated to the culture of cooperation one side and differing conflict on
the oth.er side
POLITICS is… - Exercise of power, making political decisions, practice of deception and
manipulation, exercise of authority, allocation of limited resources - Use force to affect the
behavior of another person or group
Didyou know?
• People who are unaware or are only partly unaware and uninformed of what is going on is
called idiotes.
• Idiots for Ancient Greeks means a person who: does not vote, does not discuss public
issues, and does not involve himself in government affairs.
 BASIC ISSUES IN POLITICS: LEGITIMACY SOVEREIGNTY AUTHORITY

LEGITIMACY
• Attitude of the people about what they consider in mind that government is a rightful ruler over
them
• Legal and Psychological right to govern
• Compels people to believe and follow orders
SOVEREIGNTY
• It is the right of the government to rule and the right of a government of leadership to exist
• The right of a leader to rule and control not only his subjects but also the territory over which
citizens live and prosper
AUTHORITY
• It is the power of the leader to rule and the power to exact obedience on his people. It is based on
an acknowledged duty to obey rather than on any form of coercion or manipulation. –
• It exists when subordinates acknowledged the right of superiors to give orders. –
• Right to act rather than the power to do so
• Classifications of Authority (Max Weber)
1. Traditional Authority e.g. Inheritance of succession
2. Rational-Legal/ Bureaucratic Authority e.g. legality of formal rules
3. Charismatic Authority e.g. gift of grace
• Authority relies on the obligation of the people to obey their leaders by
virtue of the legitimate power of his or her office. Effective authority
requires firm, fair, and wise leadership.
• BASIC CONCEPTS OF POLITICS
ORDER
POWER
JUSTICE
• ORDER - the central to the study of politics because it shows different components of human
society

• Structures of Order
a. Community - the central to the study of politics because it shows different components of
human society
b. Government - the central to the study of politics because it shows different components of
human society
c. State - is the largest social order today and in which the term politics originally derived.
• POWER - The main source of reign of the government. The possession to
govern or rule the state.

• JUSTICE - The process of legalizing and penalizing the abuse of political

power and power to rule
• VALUE OF POLITICS
will help you to know your rights
clarifies what you yourself believes
is a living, breathing subject
helps you to understand our nation's parties
prepares you for adult life
 Why do we need to study Politics?
It enables us…
• to understand how Political System works
• to understand the functions and role of the government
• to develop political awareness
• to understand socio-political issues and their implications
• to cultivate responsive citizenship and effective participation in
government
 TWO APPROACHES to the STUDY of
POLITICS
1. POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY - It is the traditional approach in which the
primary goal is to understand the essence or the truth about politics.
2. POLITICAL SCIENCE - It is the empirical/ objective approach in which
it places little emphasis on abstract and normative question, and
concentrates on a dispassionate and objective of the realities of politics.
 Fields of Political Science
• Political Theory- political views, thoughts or doctrines (ideology)
• Public Law- government powers, duties and organizations and limits
power
• Public Administration- methods and techniques of state affairs
• Important Personalities:
Jean Bodin -French Philosopher, who first called the study of state as
Political Science
Niccolo Machiavelli - Father of Modern Political Science
Jean Jacques Rousseau - Father of Modern Democracy
 GOVERNANCE
• Is the exercise of power/ authority by political leader for the well being at
their country’s citizens or subject
• Refers to the manner of steering/ governing and or directing and
controlling a group of people/ the state.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOVERNMENT
AND GOVERNANCE
• Government- instrument for the purpose of governance; group of people
with authority to govern a country or state
• Governance- exercise of political, economic and administrative authority
to manage nation’s affairs; process of decision making and the process by
which decisions are implemented.
 3 Legs of Governance

• 1. Economic Governance - country's economic activities and its

relationships with other economies
• 2. Political Governance - to formulate policy
• 3. Administrative Governance - system of policy implementation Ch
 Characteristics of Good Governance
PARTICIPATION
• - participation by both men and women
• -Participation is one of the strengths of Philippine governance
• - The 1987 Philippine Constitution is replete of provisions dealing with relational and
intersectoral governance.
• - The Local Government Act of 1989 was borne out of the need for decentralization in
Philippine governance.
• - As such, these and other related legislations may be considered as normative standards for
good governance.
RULE OF LAW
• legal frameworks should be fair and enforced impartially
• Democracy is essentially the rule of law
• Rule of law demands that the people and the civil society render habitual obedience
to the law.
• It also demands that the government acts within the limits of the powers and
functions prescribed by the law.
• The Philippines does not fare well in this aspect of good governance.
• In spite of being one of the oldest democracies in the region, the Philippines
ranked as last among seven indexed Asian countries according to the World
Justice Project Rule of Law Index.
• Generally, the reasons for ranking last are “lack of respect for law,” “pervasive
and systemic corruption in the government,” and “circumvention of the law.” –
• Lack of respect for law is generally caused by distrust on the integrity of law
enforcement agencies. –
• Order and security are compromised and criminal justice is rendered ineffectual.
TRANSPARENCY
• Free flow of information –
• Transparency, as an indicator of good governance, means that people are open to
information regarding decision-making process and the implementation of the same.
• In legal terms, it means that information on matters of public concern are made
available to the citizens or those who will be directly affected. –
• It also means that transactions involving public interests must be fully disclosed and
made accessible to the people.
• Efforts were made in pursuit of transparency in Philippine governance. –
• As far as the government sector is concerned, the current administration, consistent
with its drive of curbing corruption, promotes honesty and integrity in public service.
–
• It is currently pursuing the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill and other
related legislations, as well as intensifying people’s engagement in local governance.
–
• Transparency in budget and disbursements are, however, still far from being
substantially implemented
RESPONSIVENESS
• serve all stakeholders –
• means that institutions and processes serve all stakeholders in a timely and appropriate manner. –
• It also means that actors and structures of governance easily give genuine expression to the will or desire of the
people. 4. Responsiveness –
• Some of the important efforts made to attain responsive governance in the Philippines are decentralization,
creation of citizen’s charter in all frontline agencies (as required by ARTA), and gender sensitivity programs. –
• First, through decentralization, local governments, which are more proximate to their constituents, serve more
promptly the people, who in turn become more involved in decision-making
• Second, every government agency now has it Citizen’s Charter, which provides timeframes for every step in
attaining frontline services.
• Agencies now must also respond to written queries sent by the stakeholders or interested
parties within a period of ten days, otherwise there will be delayed service.
• However, this aspect of governance still remains to be one of the causes for the decline
of public’s confidence in the public sector. –
• Although the ARTA has been passed, there is still so much delay in public service
delivery. –
• The failure of the government agencies to explain the charters to the stakeholders is one
of the main reasons why there is still delay. –
• mediates differing interests
CONSENSUS ORIENTED
• Mediates differing interests

EQUITY AND INCLUSIVENESS

all have opportunities to improve or maintain their well-being
EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY
• produce results that meet needs while making the best use of resources –
• actors meet the needs of the society means that there is effective governance.
• That the valuable resources are utilized, without wasting or underutilizing any of them,
means that there is efficient governance. –
• enhancement and standardization of the quality of public service delivery consistent with
international standards, professionalization of bureaucracy.
• Efforts were made to attain effectiveness and efficiency in Philippine governance. –
• The Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 (ARTA), for instance, was passed to require the setting up
of Citizen’s Charter for a simplified procedure and to facilitate governmental transactions.
• Also, many government departments and agencies pursued a rationalization program to
check excessive and redundant staffing.
ACCOUNTABILITY
• accountable to the public.
 Importance of Studying Governance
• Governance, the people, most especially the citizens, will be aware of the
need for good governance.
• Consequently, such awareness should move them to action
• For their continued empowerment and sustainable development, they have
to know how to fight for their rights by knowing what to expect from
Philippine governance
 PROCESSES AND ACTORS IN
GOVERNANCE
Decision-Making and Implementation –
• Decision-making refers the process by which a person or group of
persons, guided by sociopolitical structures, arrive at a decision involving
their individual and communal needs and wants.

• Implementation is the process that logically follows the decision

Actors and Structures –
• An actor is a sector or group or institution that participates in the process
of decision- making implementation. –
• A structure refers to an organization or mechanism that formally or
informally guides the decision- making process and sets into motion the
different actors and apparatuses in the implementation process.
Informal Actors and Bad Governance
• Their influence is felt more clearly in local governments, such as organized crime syndicates and
powerful families, and in rural and urban areas. –
• Most often than not, these actors are the cause of corruption, in that legitimate government
objectives are distorted by their illegal and private interests. –
• Worse, they manipulate government officials and agencies, and cause widespread yet organized
violence in the community. –
• In urban and rural areas, for example, the rich and powerful families control the economy by
controlling the local government officials. –
• They bring about a controlled environment so that decision s must always favor them.