What is politics?

Prof. Lourdes Veneracion-Rallonza, PhD

Department of Political Science
Ateneo De Manila University
The word politics is derived
from the word poly, meaning
many, and the word ticks,
meaning bloodsucking
parasites.
(Larry Hardiman in Planet
Dexters This Book Really
Sucks, 1999)
Well, seriously --- politics is
a study of the authoritative
allocation of public values or
resources for a society
(David Easton)
 or is

a study of who gets what, when,

and how
(Harold Lasswell)
or about
any persistent patterns of human
relationship that involve to a
significant extent control, power,
influence and authority
(Robert Dahl)
4 Core Concepts in the Study of
Politics
(1) Power...
relational

intentional
the ability of person A to make
person B do something minus
the probability that person B
would do it on her/his own
accord
 For non-compliance...
There is a threat of sanction;
as Niccolo Machiavelli said, it is
better to be feared than loved...
(2) Influence...

An informal form
of power
No threat of sanction
No severe
deprivation for
non-conformity
Opposite of Machiavellian
thought, it is better to be
loved than feared
(3) Authority...

Right to exercise power

and influence because of
a particular position
Placed in the position
through a widely
accepted procedure
e.g. elections
(4) Legitimacy...
Being considered to be
correctly placed in a
particular position
Carrying out the
functions of that role
correctly
has moral acceptability
 Political legitimacy...
Governments rule is valid
government should generally be obeyed
legitimacy is not automatic for it is created
over a long period of time
 Conceptual Bounds of the
Political
Political Extra-Political
Public Private
Governmental Extra-governmental
State Society

institutional personal
 Political Puzzles: Approaches
Studying political behavior
Studying political structures and functions
Studying political phenomena
Studying political ideas
Studying political documents
Studying the political future