STUDY UNIT 2
THE POLITICAL ARENA AND
POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR
Based on Learning objective
STUDY UNIT 2
THE POLITICAL ARENA AND
POLITICAL BEHAVIOUR
Based on Learning objective
Civil society, Interest Groups and Political Parties
Interest group
Types of interest groups
Institutional Interest Groups
Nonassociational Interest Groups
Associational Interest Groups
Anomic Interest Groups
Social Movements
Political parties
Functions of a political party
Coordinating the actions of the government.
Agents of Political socialization
Mobilization and recruitment of political activist
Link between the individual and the political system
Broker policies
Activities of an interest group
Ideological parties
Pragmatic parties
Organised sources of opposition
Provision of Material resources
Exchange of information
Political Action
Cooperation
Legality
What is a State
Function that must be performed in every state
Major Goals/Purpose of the state
2. Stability
Political development
Democratization
Order maintenance
3 Prosperity
Economic growth
Welfare distribution
Economic development
1. Security
Influence
Dominance
Autonomy
Prestige
Survival
Policy trade-off
State sovereignty
According to Weber, state sovereignty can be understood as the following:
State and the Institutions
Function and purpose
What is a government
Sub-groups of the government
Authority
Types of Authority
Traditional Authority
Such authority is strong in countries with long histories, as time is required to solidify traditional authority.
For example, obedience to elders, respect for offices or titles, etc.
Charismatic Authority
Charismatic authority is based on charm and leadership of a specific leader and his or her ability to move and motivate people, provide direction and leadership, have people place trust and confidence in him or her. Charismatic leaders touch the feelings of people.
For Example:Lee Kuan Yew, Winston Churchill, some pop and rock stars, famous celebrities, etc. It is very common for competent leaders not to be charismatic. Such leaders would depend more on legal-rational authority – that is, the authority vested in their office by law.
Legal-Rational Authority
Legal-rational authority is based in the obedience to an impersonal rule of law that is accepted as reasonable and legitimate by the population, instead of obedience to any one person, group, or tradition.
For example: why there is relatively less corruption in Singapore as compared to other countries regionally is because the general respect for law has been inculcated in most Singaporeans.
Power, Legitimacy and authority
Difference between state and government
The government is:
Important to note: Governments can come and go (based on which political parties who form the government, win and lose the elections) but the state remains unchanged (i.e, the military, civil service/administration, police etc remain in place)
The state is:
Importance of distinguishing between government and state
State fracture
Fragile states
Contrasting between the concept of a nation from that of the state
Nation
Identity politics
Nation based identity
Nationalism
Nation-state and multinational state
Nation-state
Multinational state
Political system
Unpacking the definition of a political system
2. Allocation
3. Authoritative
1. Values
Political values
4.The collective.
Conceptualization of the Political System: Inputs and Outputs
.
Inputs, Conversions and Outputs
Inputs
Demands
Supports
Conversion
Policy decisions
Outputs
Outcome
Political violence, State Fracture and State Fragility
State fracture
coups d’état
Intra/inter conflict
Political violence
Types of Political Violence
Riots
Rebellion
Revolution
Terrorism
Factors affecting levels of Political participation/ Engagement
Apathy
Culture
Repression/De-participation
Establishment violence
Civil Society and Types of Political Participation
Civil Society
Levels of Political participation
Voting
Contacting a Civil Servant or Politician
Donating Money to a Politician, Party, Issue, or Movement
Attending a Political Meeting, Rally, or Election Campaign
Taking Part in a Demonstration
Taking Part in an Occupation, Sit-in, or Political Strike