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POG 100: Introduction to Politics and
Governance, Section 1/2/3/4
F2007
September 11 2007
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September 11 2007
Review: Studying Politics
What is Politics?
What is Governance?
Film: A Force More Powerful Political Power
Political regimes
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Why Study Politics
Politics is important because it determines our placein society, in the world and what our lives will be like Will there be peace or war. Is this a period of the Long war against terror or just
another fad like the war on drug? Should Canada be fighting the war in Afghanistan?
Public policy defines the future for this generation the quality of education, the level of student debt you
will leave here with, the economy in which you willseek employment
It involves big events, but it is also fun. Power, sex,lies, sex, videotapes
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Why Study Politics
Politics is full of interesting characters really important andhistorical figures as well as those who think they are
Thats why Jon Stewart, Rich Mercer and other comediansmake a living off of political satire.
As citizens, it helps us understand what seem like mysteriousphenomena why are they so angry at us?
why do they hate our values?
what really does Quebec want? why does the Middle East conflict persist?
It is easy because it is about things that happen in oureveryday lives
It leads to good, secure and interesting careers (sometimes ininteresting places)
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Why Study Politics
Politics allows us to make connections to everyday eventsand preoccupations:
All roads lead to politics. So do all the ways we travel on
those roads.
Amos Hawley (1963: 433):
Every act is an exercise of power, every socialrelationship is a power equation, and every social groupor system is an organization of power
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Political Science
Empirical analysis - explaining various aspects of
politics using the scientific method of observation and
comparison to develop generalizations and theories
Normative Analysis: examining ideas and narratives
about how societies should be governed
Policy Analysis: Evaluating existing policies and
identifying what policies should be adopted to particular
problems
Comparative Analysis: examining similarities and
differences between political processes, structures and
institutions in different political communities
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Studying Politics
Political institutions infrastructure of governance parliament, assemblies, councils, bureaucracy, judiciary, political
parties, civil society and social sector agencies, social movements
Constitutions, legislation, by-laws
The study of politics has historically focused on institutions of government
Political Ideas
Politics as ideas: G. W. Hegel (1770-1831) argued that it is ideas that are thefoundation of political action and political institutions In fact, Hegel suggestedthat all that exists is the product of the human mind or ideas. Nothing existsoutside of the consciousness of human beings. In essence, consciousnessdetermines our being.
Without political ideas, we cannot conceive of the institutions of governancethat are the product of human imagination. Political ideas are embodied in
these political systems and the institutions they produce. Ideas are the mostimportant source of explanation of human conduct. Ideology: A set of systematic ideas or beliefs that provide a coherent and
consistent explanation for political action. They often have core concepts ofhuman nature and philosophy of history. The concept of human nature is central tothe study of politics because it informs our ideological approach to politics and publicpolicy. As our taken for granted understanding of the events around us, it defines ourworld view and political affiliations/commitments
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Ideas and the material realm
Uniting ideas and the material expressionof ideas gives us political action
Material forces are the content and ideologiesare the formdistinction between form andcontent has purely didactic value, since thematerial forces would be inconceivablehistorically without form and the ideologies
would be individual fancies without the materialforces. Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937)
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What is Politics
Politics is concerned with how people organize themselves to tackle common problems. It is acontested process involving struggles among groups with conflicting interests
Politics as the art and science of governmentor the authoritative allocation of valuesthrough the institutions of government
Politics is about power and how power is exercized to determine the ability to accessresources: It seeks to address the questions ofwho gets what why and how? (HaroldLaswell)
Politics is the art of the possible. Emphasis is on compromise/mediating differences
Politics is a process: A continuing series of events and interactions among actors individuals, organizations, governments. These processes occur within structures demarcated
by rules, procedures, institutions.
Politics is the process by which communities, peoples, societies pursue collective goals anddeal with conflicts authoritatively through their governments
Politics as a process by which individuals or citizens ensure the common good or public good.It is a fundamental feature of all organized society.
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Governance
Governance is concerned with the organization of power to achieve collective ends.
Simply put "governance" means: the process of political decision-making and theprocess by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented).
Governance in common usage is applied to nation-state:
national governance; community: local governance; business: corporate governance; global:international governance.
Since governance is the process of decision-making and the process bywhich decisions are implemented, an analysis of governance focuses onprocesses that are: formal
informal
It also focuses on actors involved in decision-making and implementing thedecisions made
the formal and informal structures in place to arrive at and implement thedecision.
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Politics and governance
People govern themselves in a variety of ways. In some cases, as in Canada, people have various levels of
governance and formal governments federal, provincial,municipal, community, self-government.
In others, it is through kingdoms or fiefdoms.
There are also unitary and federal governmental arrangements
All these institutions engage in a process of rule making
Rule making determines the conduct of life for themembers of society and provides them with identity,
belonging and a sense of purpose in life. Informal processes of governance occur outside of the
structures of government, such as those in what we callcivil society, the social sector, in religious institutions.
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Politics and governance
In the early twenty first century, the focus of politics and governance is largely on nationallevel organization - commonly known as the state.
The state is the structure through which local governance over everyday events is connected tointernational levels of governance over global events
However, we are often impacted directly by other levels of organization local community,village, municipal, reservation, band, and sub-nation (such as provincials, state) These both have the capacity and role in solving peoples common problems as well as administrative
and historical structures that make them relevant.
They also have the capacity to impact people lives negatively
People in different parts of the world govern themselves in a variety of ways. In some cases,as in Canada, people have various levels of governance and formal governments. In other
places informal processes are more pronounced, so we consider them less democratic.
In Canada, we recognize some of the informal processes of governance that occur involvingnon-elected actors such as lobbyists or outside of the structures of government, such as in civilsociety: the business sector, the social sector, religious institutions. Like state actors, theseinstitutions engage in rule making that determines the conduct of life for their members andprovide them with identity, belonging and a sense of purpose in life.
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Governance and policy making
Governance often translates into contests over public issues and problems aspeople seek ways to go about solving the problem(s) identified.
The process by which these are addressed in the process of policy making
Public policy represents a course of action or inaction chosen by public
authorities to address a given problem, issue or interrelated problems orissues
Politics and government are concerned with the Common Good.
Both Political idealists and realists agree that politics is about seeking and
ensuring the common good of the political community.
The Common Good approach to governance assumes common values andinterests on the part of the members of society.
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The Common Good
Common Good: what is good for the political community as a whole, as well asthe general welfare of the members of the political community
This is a contested concept since different people tend to define the common gooddifferently. Do leaders act to further the common good or their interests? (IRAQ)
From a Collectivist perspective, the common good represents the interests andwell-being of the political community as a whole. In some cases, this is interpreted
as meaning that the good of all supercedes the good of individuals. Individuals areexpected to sacrifice for the good of the political community.
From an individualistic perspective, it is the well being of individuals that issupreme. The political community is seen as the sum of the interests of individuals.The well being of the individual is the proper measure of the common goodbecause it can only be achieved by allowing individuals to be free to pursue theirinterests
The public interest is often defined from these varied perspectives There is also a question as to what geographical boundaries to use to
determine the community to which the common good applies - city,province, country, global or whether is should extend beyond humans toother beings and the environment
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Units of Analysis
The individual as a unit of analysis
Sovereignty
The sovereign individual/Citizen
The state, kingdom, province, community
The world, global or global village,
The planet and the environment
Gender, race, ethnicity, ability, sexuality
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Key concepts
The concept of human nature
The concept of power
The concept of consent
Authority and governance
The individual
Citizen as sovereign
Individual and society or the collective
The state, kingdom, province, community as politicalcommunities
Nation, nation-state, country
National, local, global, globalization
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Human nature
What does it mean to be human?
Man is a political animal Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
Humans are social beings by nature. Only a beast would live without being in asociety or a political community. Society is the highest form of self-actualization
The state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short
Hobbes (1588-1679)
A condition of war involving every man against every man
Humans are selfish, driven by desires and aversions, engaged in a perpetualstruggle till death. They seek to avoid violence, starvation and death by seekingpower
Humans are weak and helpless St. Augustine (354-430)
Humans are good but corruptible - Jean Jacques Rousseau
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Human nature
The starting point in all thinking about politics is the questionof human nature. The very concept of being human.
It is this consciousness that animates all political consideration.
What is human nature? Are we, as Aristotle (384-322)argued, by nature social beings or , as Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) alleged, solitary and isolated beings in a nasty, short and
brutish state of nature? Is the desire for power intrinsic to human nature as Nietzsche
claimed or are human beings capable of love and cooperation
as Emmanuel Kant and Jean Jacques Rousseau suggest? How we answer these questions determines how we approach
all aspects of politics and the study of politics.
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Politics and Power
The power to govern derives from: The individual citizen/s as source of political
legitimacy The people as source of legitimacy - people
power, class power God (deity) -divine authority as source of
legitimacy theocracy, absolute monarchy Traditional/expert authority as source of
legitimacy - aristocracy, oligarchy, corporatism Power as source of legitimacy - dictatorship,
colonialism, imperialism Politics is often seen as a struggle for power
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Power and Politics
Power as the ability to bring about desired outcome
Power as the ability to influence the actions of others
Power as coercion - using fear or threats to achieve outcomes
Power as the ability to impose one groups interests onothers - or to define them as the public interest
Power as the capacity to make decisions
Power to act - citizens
Power over others - subjects
Power as ubiquitous Michel Foucault Power runs through all social relations
Knowledge as power
Power and resistance
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Power to and Power over
Power understood as:
Power to act: Being empowered to do something about events
around you, achieve collective goals
People power - Gandhi and India, Philippines,Civilrights movements, feminist movement, socialmovements
Power over others: Being subject to constraints imposed by others
Citizen as subject
Oppressions - imperialism, patriarchy, colonialism
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Class Exercise
Film: A Force More Powerful
Write a short paragraph indicating whatkey political issue caught your attention in
the video and why Is there a key quote you took away from
the film?
Submit with your name and date nextweek