Social Institutions:Politics

IMRAN AHMAD SAJID

Definition

J.J. Macionis• Politics is the social institution that distributes

power, sets a society’s goals, and makes decisions.

Politics: the interrelationships between the people, groups, or organizations in a particular area of life especially insofar as they involve power and influence or conflict.

• Max Weber,– Every society is based on power. – Power is the ability to achieve desired ends

despite resistance from others. – The use of power is the business of government.

• Government is a formal organization that directs the political life of a society.

• Government demands compliance on the part of population; yet Weber noted that most governments do not openly threaten their people.

• Most of the time, people respect or at least accept their society’s political system.

• No government is likely to keep its power for long if compliance comes only from the threat of brute force.

• Even the most brutal dictator must wonder if there can ever be enough police to watch everyone—and who would watch the police?

• Every government, therefore, tries to make itself seem legitimate in the eyes of the people. This fact brings us to Weber’s concept of Authority.

• Authority is the power that people perceive as legitimate rather than coercive.

• Howe do governments transform raw power into more stable authority? Weber pointed to three ways: 1. Traditional authority, 2. Rational-legal authority, 3. Charismatic authority.

1. Traditional Authority• Traditional Authority is the power legitimized by respect

for long-established cultural patterns. • People accept a system simply because it has always been

that way. It is woven into a population’s collective memory. • It is usually hereditary leadership.

– E.g. Chinese emperors in ancient time– Aristocratic rulers in medieval Europe– Mughal emperors in India

• The power of tradition can be so strong that people typically come to view traditional rulers as almost godlike.

2. Rational-Legal Authority • Rational-legal authority (also called bureaucratic authority) is power

legitimized by legally enacted rules and regulations. • Bureaucracy is the type of organization that dominates in rational-thinking,

modern societies. • Instead of looking to the past, members of today’s high-income societies

seek justice through the operation of a political system that follows formally enacted rules of law. – E.g. powers of deans and classroom teachers.– Police

• RLA comes not from family background but from a position in government organization.

• A traditional monarch rules for life, but a modern president or PM accepts and gives up power according to law, which shows that presidential authority lies in the office, not in the person.

3. Charismatic Authority

• Charismatic authority is power legitimized by extraordinary personal abilities that inspire devotion and obedience.

• Unlike traditional and rational-legal authority, charismatic authority depends less on a person’s ancestry or office and more on personality.

• CLs have surfaced throughout history, using their personal skills to turn an audience into followers. Often they make their own rules and challenge the status quo. Jesus Christ & Hitler.

Types of Political Systems

1. Monarchy2. Democracy3. Authoritarianism4. Totalitarianism

1. Monarchy• Monarchy (one ruler) is a political system in

which a single family rules from generation to generation.

• Monarchy is commonly found in the ancient agrarian societies.

• In the world today, 26 nations have royal families*.

• Monarchy is legitimized by tradition (Weber). *in Europe, Sweden, Denmark, GB, Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Belgium, Spain and Monaco; in Middle East: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait; in Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Morocco; in Asian: Brunei, Tonga, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Japan.

2. Democracy

• Democracy is a political system that gives power to the people as a whole.

• Representative democracy: a form of democracy that puts authority in the hands of leaders chosen by the people in elections.

• Democracy and rational-legal authority go together.

• Most High Income Nations are not TRULY DEMOCRATIC for Two reasons– First, there is the problem of bureaucracy. Bureaucrats

and all other government employees have powers and run the affairs of government but they are never elected by anyone and do not have to answer directly to the people.

– Second, there is the problem of economic inequality. The rich people have far more political power than poor people. All of the most visible voices in today’s political debates—from Sharif to Bhutto to Makhdoom to Bilour—are among the country’s richest people. And in the game of politics “Money Talks”.

3. Authoritarianism

• Authoritarianism is a political system that denies the people participation in government.

• An authoritarian government is indifferent to people’s needs, offers them no voice in selecting leaders, and uses force in response to dissent or opposition.

• The absolute monarchies in Saudi Arabia and Oman are authoritarian, as is the military junta in Ethiopia.

4. Totalitarianism

• Totalitarianism is a highly centralized political system that extensively regulates people’s lives.

• Such governments have a “total” concentration of power, allowing no organized opposition.

• North Korea and former USSR

Functions of Politics

• To regulate relationship• Welfare works• Defence against foreign danger• To create social control• The institutionalization of norms• The decision of conflict• The enforcement of norms

Crime Reported in Selected Cities - 2010

Peshawar Charsadda Nowshera Mardan Swabi0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000 22830

84817786

10197

6422

Source: Office of the Additional Inspector General Police (Investigation), CPO, Peshawar

Functions of Government

1. Birth Registration2. Sanitation 3. Education4. Housing5. Taxation6. Market Price of Food,

clothing and fuel7. Recreational function

Source: William F. Ogburn and Meyer F. Nimkoff. (1964). A Handbook of Sociology. London: Routledge.p.409

8. Medical care9. Unemployment

benefits10.Protection from

enemies11.Protection from

hazards12.Old-age benefits13.Death registration14.Burial services

0. Policing

Functions of Government by UN

1. General public services2. Defence3. Public order and safety4. Economic affairs5. Environmental protection6. Housing and community amenities7. Health8. Recreation, culture and religion9. Education10. Social protection

Source: UN Statistics Division. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/cr/registry/regcst.asp?Cl=4&Top=1&Lg=1

Recent Trends in Government/State

• The Social Service State• The Production State• The War State

Thank You