pog 100 - f2007 - september 11 2007 -blackboard

8/14/2019 POG 100 - F2007 - September 11 2007 -Blackboard

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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

pog 100 - f2007 - september 11 2007 -blackboard

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