WHAT IS POLITICAL SCIENCE?

- Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with
systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political
thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and laws.

WHO COINED THE TERM “POLITICAL SCIENCE”?

- Aristotle is credited with coining the term “Political Science” in Book IV of his work
entitled: “Politics”. According to him, Political Science talks about the ideal state and
the ideal constitution for a state given the circumstances and capabilities of that said
state.

WHO IS THE FATHER OF POLITICAL SCIENCE?

- Aristotle is widely regarded to be the “Father of Political Science” due to his famous
work, “Politics” that investigates what makes for good and bad government and
identifying factors favorable and unfavorable to the preservation of constitutions.

BRANCHES OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

Comparative Politics
- Comparative politics is a field of political science that compares different political
systems that work under different societies.

International Relations
- International relations is the study of relations of states with each other and with
international organizations and the formation of foreign policy.

Political Theory
- Political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about
the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships
between them.

Public Administration
- Public administration is the study of bureaucracy and how it creates and implements
public programs and policies.

Domestic Politics
- is the study of one's own nation's politics. It includes public opinion, elections, national
government, and state, local, or regional government.
DEFINITION OF POLITICS

According to David Easton

- Politics is the “authoritative allocation of values,” or the distribution of rewards in
wealth, power, and status that political systems may provide.

According to Aristotle
- Politics is the study of the affairs of the city-state (polis), encompassing the
organization of society and the administration of government and how people should
best live together in communities through governance.

According to Ponton and Gill

- Politics is the way in which social affairs are understood and ordered, and by which
people acquire greater control over the situation.

*According to Harold Laswell/Explanation of “Who gets what, when, and how”

- Politics is about “Who gets what, when, and how” which simply means that politics is
about the exercise of power, the hunger for power, who comes out on top, and the
circumstances and consequences of the hunger for power.

“Man is a political and social animal by nature”

- It simply means that man is not self-sufficing. Man cannot provide everything he needs
by himself and for other men. Man needs other men to provide necessities for himself.
Therefore, man is forced to live as a sociopolitical being.

* ”POLITICS DENOTES A SOCIAL ACTIVITY”

- It simply means that politics is a social activity- an activity where we engage in
interactions and conversations with one another. In other words, politics is always a
dialogue and not a monologue.

“POLITICS IS ABOUT CONFLICT AND COOPERATION”

- It means that politics is about nation-states and political or social groups vying for
power, resources, or influence. This competition may lead to negotiation, cooperation,
compromise or worse, confrontation and conflict depending on agreements and
disagreements between involved parties.

*“POLITICS IS THE CREATION, MAINTENANCE, AND AMENDMENT OF SOCIETAL

NORMS”
- It means that politics is about the process of how societies establish, uphold, and
modify the rules and values that govern behavior and interactions whether it be through
the creation of policies, operation of institutions, legislative reforms and social
movements that create, uphold, and change existing norms and values.

*WHAT IS GOVERNANCE?
- Governance is the process by how power is exercised in the management of a
country’s political, economic, and social resources for development (World Bank, 1993)

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NATION, STATE, AND GOVERNMENT

State
- a political unit that has sovereignty (the legitimate and ultimate authority over a
political unit) over an area of territory and the people within the said territory. An
example would be The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Nation
- a distinct population of people that are bound together by a common culture, history,
and tradition who are typically concentrated within a geographical region. An example
would be the Nation of Cherokee that exists in Southeastern United States.

Government
- a system or a body that exercises power and authority over the general population of
the state in the management and operation of a state. An example would be the Federal
Government of the United States.

TYPES OF GOVERNMENT

Legitimate
- A legitimate government is one that is recognized as rightful and just by its people and
by other nations. Its authority is accepted because it is based on legal, ethical, or
democratic principles.

*Illegitimate
- An illegitimate government is one that lacks rightful authority and is not recognized by
its people or by other nations. Its authority is often imposed through coercion, force, or
lack of legal and ethical grounding.

TYPES OF ILLEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT

Government by REVOLUTION
- A government established through a revolutionary process, where an existing regime is
overthrown and replaced by a new political system or leadership. An example would be
the 1986 Revolutionary Government of Corazon C. Aquino, after overthrowing the
Marcos Regime.

Government by SECESSION
- A government formed when a region or group within a country declares independence
and establishes a new, separate state. An example would be the Confederate States of
America, who broke away from the U.S in the 1860s due to issues regarding state
rights and slavery.

Government by OCCUPATION
- A government established by a foreign power that has taken control of a territory
through military occupation. An example would be the Crimean Federal District, which
legally belongs to Ukraine, but is now under occupation by the Russian Federation.

DIFFERENT FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

1st GROUP

Monarchy (Rule of One)

- A form of government where sovereign power is vested in one person. An example
would be the Government of the United Kingdom whose head of state is King Charles
III.

Aristocracy (Rule of the Few)

- A form of government where sovereign power is vested in a group of few people. An
example would be the Eupatridae of Athens, Greece.

Democracy (Rule of the People/Many)

- A form of government where sovereign power is vested in the citizens of the state. An
example would be the Federal Government of the United States.
2nd GROUP

Unitary Government
- a state where most or all the governing power is vested in the central government or
national government. Although political power may be delegated to local governments
by statute, the central government may override the decisions of devolved
governments, curtail their powers, or expand their powers. An example would be the
Republic of the Philippines, where power is vested in the national government.

* Federal Government
- a state where sovereign and governing power is formally divided between the national
government and the local government with both the national and local government
having constitutionally defined authorities. An example would be the Federal
Government of the United States.

3rd Group

Presidential System
- a system where the executive branch is separate from the legislative branch, and a
president serves as the head of state and government. It is also a system where the
legislature cannot dismiss the head executive EXCEPT IN EXTRAORDINARY CASES.
An example would be the United States of America.

* Parliamentary System
- a system where the head of government or state derives their legitimacy from their
ability to command the support of the legislature, to which they are held accountable. If
the head executive loses the support of confidence of the legislature, then the head
executive may be dismissed by the legislature. An example would be the United
Kingdom, where the prime minister is the head of government and is appointed based
on their ability to command a majority in the House of Commons.

ORIGIN OF STATES

Divine Right Theory

- a political doctrine asserting that monarchs derive their authority from a divine being
and cannot be held accountable for their actions by human means. It follows that only
divine authority can judge a monarch, and that any attempt to resist or restrict their
powers runs contrary to God's will and may constitute a sacrilegious act.

Social Contract Theory

- is a theoretical or actual agreement between the governed and their rulers, defining
the rights and duties of each. It asserts that individuals consent, either explicitly or
implicitly, to surrender some of their freedoms and submit to the authority of a
governing body in exchange for protection of their remaining rights and maintenance of
social order.

*Necessity Theory/Force Theory

- this theory viewed man as a political animal, and the state as a natural result of the
instinct of sociability. It justified the existence of the state as a necessity determined by
the very nature of man. It also viewed the state as arising to meet the essential needs of
man, and justified it on the grounds of its usefulness.

Paternalistic Theory
- asserts that the state was formed as a result of several social circumstances, evolving
from simpler forms of social organization to more complex political structures as
societies grow in size and complexity.
4 ELEMENTS OF THE STATE

*Population
- refers to the total number of individuals who reside within a specific territorial entity
that is under the jurisdiction of a particular government or state.

Territory
- Territory is a geographical area that is owned and controlled by a government or
country to exercise such state sovereignty. Territory comprises and refers to land
territory which belongs to state and individuals, internal waters and territorial sea
(straits) which state claims for sovereignty, and the airspace above this territory.

Government
- a system or a body that exercises power and authority over the general population of
the state in the management and operation of a state.

Sovereignty
- the quality of having legitimate and ultimate authority over a territory.

5 MODES OF ACQUIRING TERRITORY

CESSION
- the transfer of sovereignty over a definite territory by one state to another state. An
example would be the 1867 Alaska Purchase where the Russian Empire sold Alaska to
the United States for $7.2m.

ACCRETION
- A state acquires territory by accretion when new land is formed within its existing
territorial limits whether natural or artificial. An example would be the Land
Reclamation of the Netherlands where the Dutch acquired new territory by building
dykes.

DISCOVERY/OCCUPATION
- A mode of acquiring territory by discovering a continent, an island or land with or
without inhabitants and thereafter, occupying it within its political administration An
example would be Great Britain discovering the Australian continent and adding it as
a part of their empire.

SUBJUGATION/ANNEXATION
- It is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by
another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. An example would
be the 2014 Russian Invasion of Crimea where the Russian Federation invaded and
occupied Crimea, which originally belonged to Ukraine.

Prescription
- a mode of acquiring territory through prolonged and undisputed exercise of
sovereignty upon a territory. An example would be the acquisition of the Falkland
Islands by Great Britain through continuous and unchallenged occupation in the in the
early 19th century.

3 BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT

Executive
- The branch of government concerned with the implementation and the execution of
laws, headed by the chief executive and his ministers or cabinet secretaries.
Legislative
- the branch of government concerned with the creation, amendment, and revocation
of laws.

Judiciary
- the branch of government concerned with the interpretation of laws. Interpretation
refers to the settlement of actual controversies involving rights which are legally
demandable and enforceable as well as the determination if there is a lack or excess of
discretion on any branch of government.

MODULES 1-4