Politics
Governance and the state
Definitions
Politics(management of the state and its citizens)
Consider:
role of international org
the need for national boundaries (migration complicates electoral process and public interest)
how China is closed off from the world (sovereignty, isolation)
human rights
What is the best way for a state to manage its citizens?
military force (intertwined with power of state)
In Myanmar, Thailand, the military has enough power to influence the state
Goals of governance
Personal freedom
Harm principle
Challenges of governance
Democracy
Problem of majority rule
Ignorant voter
Tension (always requires compromise)
Resource management
Long - short term allocation: how to achieve sustainable development?
Individual freedom vs social stability
Individual freedom vs power of state
Domestic interests vs global powers
Influence of media
Voting under false beliefs produce elected representatives to enact policies that enforce these beliefs, leading to persistently flawed policies
The majority devalues the minority with differing preferences
Need to introduce systems that protect minority interests
Consider: supply and demand, suitable pricing, policies to protect national industries
The Qatar Crisis (UAE imposed a blockade)
geographic location matters as it influences international politics
Japan-South Korea Relations (comfort women issue)
Apple v.s. FBI
Business models of big tech rely on ability to track user data
new cloud services create unencrypted data to facilitate gov access to personal info
France and Belgium strengthen security
restrictions on liberties (esp minority Muslims)
Are dictators better than anarchy?
SG authoritarian prosperity is here to stay
despite Low levels of political participation and issues in functioning of governance
Russia’s transition to democracy failed
Iran, Egypt, Afghanistan are not ready for democracy
A functioning state and citizens’ pragmatic needs should be prioritised over democracy
Security interest of both parties are linked (common challenges)
Social media: business models leverage on personalisation
Automated social networks can be exploited to undermine democracy (in US & Europe)
Brain hacking
no effective regulatory framework for internet platforms
lack of political will to create one
Erosion of legitimacy of free press/institutions
e.g. Al Jazeera, Bloomberg,
Mostly representative democracy: citizens delegate power during elections
Freedom and equality
political participation
Educated citizenry
Protection of minorities
Illusory sense of participation
Real decision-making power rests in the hands of a minority
Plurality of ultimate values
More voters
more opinions
Difficult to reach consensus
acceptable limitation on personal freedom
Fraternity solves the contradiction between equality and liberty
Social welfare
public amenities
economic growth
social control
Manpower training
security (internal and external)
How to upkeep peace and Social contract
trade off: public interest and democracy
where is power centred? State/people
not fixed by nature, varies in different nations
oppressive vs liberal state
The state
citizens accept specific ways of life
determined by a group with centralised power and authority
What defines a typical citizen?
depends on geography/culture
Privacy vs security: why do democratic states struggle with how to protect their citizens?
balance btw security and freedom is difficult to build in a political way as security is achieved at the cost of freedom Vice versa
Business ethics POV?
Democracy is contingent on social-political and cultural conditions
Elite Theory: Your candidates are preselected. Your votes just ordain them
(engineered process)
Government can make decisions
above the state
Governance: how the government exerts influence on the state
may look as if democracy is impeded
The government claims to be able to make more rational decisions
Risk society: facing unprecedented risks that the government will need to address
more uncertainty in these risks
Poor governance exploits Underlying fears to expand their power
Political theories
John Maynard Keynes
governments should stimulate demand during economic downturns (Despite large Budget deficits to create jobs)
Multiplier effect:
justify the need for the government to invest during depressions
Thoreau
Civil disobedience pamphlet:
recommends that when a president is making wrong decisions, citizens have a duty to protest as independent thinkers
Rejects political passivity
Karl Marx
Adam smith
Capitalism can be saved by elevating the quality of consumer demand
Communist manifesto
No inherited wealth
Free education
centralised control of industries
Points out the shortcomings of capitalism
The economy generates an ideology: everyone has value judgements
Modern work is insecure: capitalism forces production
The capitalist society teaches us to be anxious, competitive, conformist, and politically complacent:
Legitimacy
Strategies
Purpose
Ensure order
authority to lead and restrict the people
individual and collective liberty
legitimacy in ruling the state
Thomas Hobbes
Social contract
For the government to protect the natural rights of American citizens, people would have to see the government as an authority they must respect.
The government then has exclusive rights to manage the state in order to protect the essential freedoms.
Elements
People
Territory
government
sovereignty
State vs Ntion: state is more of a concept: nation involves more race and ethics
A community of persons occupying a definite territory, having an organised government and enjoying independence from foreign control
Charismatic authority
Leader-centred
possesses the superior power of charisma to rally diverse and conflict-prone people behind him. His power comes from the massive trust and almost unbreakable faith people put in him.
Traditional Authority
the prevailing order in society gives him the mandate to rule
legal-rational authority
grounded in clearly defined laws
The obedience of people is not based on the capacity of any leader but on the legitimacy and competence that procedures and laws bestow upon persons in authority
the right and acceptance of an authority, usually a governing law
Huntington
Political legitimacy is considered a basic condition for governing, without which a government will suffer legislative deadlock(s) and collapse
democracy was unnecessary for establishing legitimacy, a condition that can be established with codified laws, customs, and cultural principles
Political achievement:
Social progress
Economic growth
political stability