Political Science

Filed under Political Science | Last modified September 25, 2011 at 19:32 Politics is the struggle over the allocation of benefits and privileges. Government is the institution responsible for resolving conflicts over the allocation of benefits and privileges. According to Hobbes, life in a state of nature (what world would look like without government) is nasty, brutish and short. Hobbes’ perception is built on the assumption that men are selfish and predatory. Government has a monopoly on the legitimate use of force. This provides order in society and lends stability and predictability to interactions. Order is achieved by limiting freedom of choice. Individuals voluntarily surrender freedom for order. Individuals voluntary surrender freedom for order, thus escaping state of nature. How much order should a government provide? How much freedom should individuals relinquish? Freedoms lost must be outweighed by freedoms gained. Also, governments provide public goods as a means of ensuring order. Order is the solution to societal chaos. For example, infrastructure such as sanitation and transportation maintains stability. Lastly, governments promote equality to ensure order — for example, bridging the gap between rich and poor by various means. The social contract is the voluntary sacrifice of freedom in exchange for order. Participation in the democratic process constitutes a renewal of the social contract. Under non-democratic regimes, citizens are unable to renew the social contract and the government loses legitimacy. Another factor is authority, which is the power of the government to enforce its decisions and compel obedience. 1. Totalitarianism: Government controls all aspects of life. For example, Nazi Germany. Authority: Yes. Legitimacy: No. 2. Democracy: Government controlled by the governed. For example, US, Britain and France. Authority: Yes. Legitimacy: Yes. There are three types of government or political systems: 1. Totalitarian governments have unlimited power and determine who winners and losers are. An example is Nazi Germany. 2. Authoritarian governments strongly influence who winners and losers are. Although dominant in their own sphere, other power bases exist in society. An example is Poland before the collapse of Soviet Union. 3. Democratic governments influence who the winners and losers are. Individuals possess rights that the government cannot take away. There are three types of economic systems, organized by who owns the means of production: 1. Capitalism places ownership in private individuals. 2. Socialism places ownership in the government. 3. Communism places ownership in the workers. There are three principles of a democratic government: 1. Popular sovereignty. The right of all citizens to vote (universal suffrage — exceptions include felons in some states). Government leaders are elected. Elections are free, fair and frequent. People participate in the political process. High-quality information is available. The majority rules. 2. Political equality. One person, one vote. Equal before the law. 3. Political liberty. Freedom to participate in processes that converts popular will into public policy. Popular opinion is the distribution of benefits and privileges preferred by the citizenry. Popular will is the distribution of benefits and privileges preferred by the citizenry when two conditions are met: high-quality information and opportunity to deliberate. Popular will is then converted into public policy via: elections; citizens receiving information about government activity; expressing preferences individually, beyond voting; joining associations to articulate preferences. Two issues frequently arise regarding political liberty: privately funded lobbyists and transparency. Some people have proposed public funding of lobbyists, while others have suggested the government maintain a maximum of transparency. There are three kinds of Democracy: 1. Majoritarian democracies where policy decisions reflect the preference of the majority of individuals. 2. Elitist democracies where policy decisions reflect the preferences of a select few. 3. Pluralist democracies where policy decisions reflect compromises among various competing factions. Source : studentreader.com