INTRODUCTION A.

The Study of Political Science Meaning of Political Science Political Science is the systematic study of the state and government. The word political is derived from the Greek word polis, meaning a city, or what today would be the equivalent of a sovereign state. It is primarily concerned with the association of human beings into a body politic, or a political community (one organized under government and law). Scope of Political Science 1. 2.

Political Theory Public Law

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- the entire body of doctrines relating to the origin, form, behavior, and purposes of the state are dealt with in the study of this subject.

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Organization of governments Limitations upon government authority Powers and duties of governmental offices and officers Obligations of one state to another Public Administration - attention is focused upon the methods and techniques used in the actual management of state affairs by executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.

Interrelationship with other branches of learning 1. 2. 3.

History - history is past politics and politics present history Economics - political economy Geography - geopolitics (science concerned with the study of the influences of physical factors such as
population pressures, sources of raw materials, geography, etc., upon domestic and foreign politics) Sociology and Anthropology - sociologist (specializes in the study of society as a whole) - anthropologist (studies mankind in relation to physical, social, and cultural development) Psychology - mental and emotional processes motivating the political behavior of individuals and groups (e.g. public opinion, pressure groups, propaganda) Philosophy - ethics; concepts and doctrines as the underlying forces in the framing of constitutions and laws Statistics and Logic - statistical procedures (quantitative measurement of social phenomena) - logical procedures (analysis of reasoning) Jurisprudence - branch of public law concerned with the analysis of existing legal systems, and ethical, historical, sociological and psychological foundations of law

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Function and Importance of Political Science 1. The function of political science is: a. to discover the principles that should be adhered to in public affairs b. to study the operations of government in order to: i. demonstrate what is good ii. criticize what is bad or inefficient iii. suggest improvements Its findings and conclusions may be of immense practical use to individuals who seek to understand the state in which they live and who need models or norms that can be applied to immediate situations. a. constitution-makers

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b. legislators c. executives d. judges The study of political science deals with problems of: a. social welfare b. governmental economic programs c. international cooperation d. other matters that are urgent concern to public officials and to private citizens

Goal in the Study of Political Science Courses 1. 2. Education for citizenship - equip students to discharge the obligations of democratic citizenship Essential parts of liberal education - intelligent, responsible citizenship can save democracy; ignorance and negligence can lose it - just how much is freedom worth? - eternal vigilance is the price of liberty Knowledge and understanding of government

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Concepts of State and Government

Meaning of State A state is a community of persons: more or less numerous permanently occupying a definite portion of territory having a government of their own to which the great body of inhabitants render obedience enjoying freedom from external control Elements of State 1. 2.

People - mass of population living within the state Territory - includes:

Land over which the jurisdiction of the state extends (terrestrial) Rivers and lakes therein (fluvial) Certain area of the sea which abuts upon its coasts (maritime) Air space above (aerial) Government - agency through which the will of the state is formulated, expresses and carried out Sovereignty - supreme power of the state to: command and enforce obedience to its will from people within its jurisdiction (internal) have freedom from foreign control (external) - independence a. b. c. d.

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Origin of States 1. 2. 3. 4. - the state is of divine creation and the ruler is ordained by God to govern the people Necessity or Force Theory - states must have been created through force, by some great warriors who imposed their will upon the weak Paternalistic Theory - attributes the origin of state to the enlargement of the family which remained under the authority of the father or mother - family clan tribe nation STATE Social Contract Theory - early states must have been formed by deliberate and voluntary compact among the people to form a society and organize government for their common good - justifies the right of the people to revolt against a bad ruler

Divine Right Theory

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State distinguished from Nation STATE Political concept Not subject to external control May consist of many nations State distinguished from Government A state cannot exist without a government, but it is possible to have a government without a state. A government may change, its form may change, but the state, as long as its essential elements are present, remains the same. Purpose and Necessity of Government 1. 2. NATION Ethnic concept; more strictly synonymous with people May or may not be independent of external control May consist of many states

Advancement of the Public Welfare Consequence of Absence

Forms of Government 1. As to number of persons exercising sovereign powers: a. Monarchy - supreme and final authority is in the hands of a single person without regard to the source of his election or the nature or duration of his tenure i. Absolute Monarchy - ruler rules by divine right ii. Limited Monarchy - ruler rules in accordance with a constitution b. Aristocracy - political power is exercised by a few privileged class which is known as an aristocracy or oligarchy c. Democracy - political power is exercised by a majority of the people i. Direct or Pure Democracy - the will of the state is formulated or expressed directly and immediately through the people in a mass meeting or primary assembly ii. Indirect, Representative or Republican Democracy - the will of the state is formulated and expressed through the agency of a relatively small and select body of persons chosen by the people to act as their representatives As to extent of powers exercised by the control or national government: a. Unitary Government - control of national and local affairs is exercised by the central or national government b. Federal Government - powers of government are divided between national affairs and local affairs, each being supreme within its own sphere As to relationship between the executive and the legislative branches of the government: a. Parliamentary Government - the state confers upon the legislature the power to terminate the tenure of office of the real executive b. Presidential Government - the state makes the executive constitutionally independent of the legislature as regards his tenure and to a large extent as regards his policies and acts, and furnishes him with sufficient powers to prevent the legislature from trenching upon the sphere marked out by the constitutions as executive independence and prerogative

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C. The Government of the Philippines in Transition D. Concept of Constitution E. Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines

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