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Political Science 114 Notes
These are summaries from all chapters from andrew heywoods politics 5th edition. It covers everything. These notes help me achieve a distinction in political science 114.
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Political Science 114Chapter 1 - What is politics
Politics:
Making, preserving and amending general social rules.
The art of government
Where it occurs:
•State institutions
•Parliament
•Cabinet
•Bureaucracy
Compromise and consensus (Decision making)
Nature of decision-making
•A way of conflict resolution
•An activity for conciliation and community survival
Public Affairs
Interpretation (narrow) 1) Public: State and government
Private: Business, Unions and clubs
Interpretation (wider) 2) Public: Government, commerce, work, art and culture
Personal: Family and domestic life (politics can be a factor in family
g groups and relationships due to the ‘power struggle’ within a family
o or relationship)
Power
•”Who gets what, when and how” - Lasswell
•Used to struggle for scarce resources
•Decision making - Dahl
•Agenda setting - Bachrach and Baratz
•Thought control (influence) - Lukes
How we study politics
Normative (should)
•How should democratic governments operate?
•Prescription
Empirical (do)
•How do democratic governments operate?
•Description
Scientific (conducting experiments is far more difficult due to the fact that we study people)
•Privileges natural science research methods
•Explain
•Predict
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Tools for political analysis
•Concepts
Rights, class
•Models
Systems analysis
•Theories
Pluralism
•Paradigms
Rationality
State Government and Political Regiems
Government as an Institution:
Visible manifestation of the state. (e.g National, Provincial, Local government)
Government as a Process:
The regulation or ordering of social interaction in society through authoritative rule setting,
implementing and enforcing.
State vs Government
State:
•Extensive
•Permanent
•Common good
•Impersonal authority
Government:
•Part of the State
•Temporary (due to the election cycle)
•Partisan
Feminist Perspective
•Patriarchal State
•Liberal Feminist: State bias can be overcome through reform
•Radical Feminist: “state poer relict a deeper structure of oppression in the form of patriarchy”
-Instrumentalist Argument: State = tool used by men for own interest
-Structuralist Argument: State institutions embedded in patriarchal system
New Right-Wing Perspective
•Leviathan State
•Parasitic state that threatens liberty
•Nanny state grown:
-People demand more; politicians promise
-Bureaucratic self interest; supports BIG GOVERNMENT
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Political System:
Mechanisms of government, state institutions, how the state and government interact with
society, interrelationships and distribution of power.
Politcal Regiem
•System of rule
Criteria for Classification
•Who rules?
•How is compliance achieved?
•Centralisation/Fragmentation?
•Power acquisition/transfer (election, revolution)?
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Chapter 2: Political Ideas and Ideologies
Ideology – different views, tools for analysis
•Science of ideas: De Tracy coined term in 1796
•False Cosiousness: Karl Marx - The belief that you are where you should be – thus people remain
compliant, ie exploited !!)
•Instrument of Social Control: Popper, Arendt
•Ideology seen as Abstract System of thought that obscures reality – Oakeshott
Ideology
- !Developed social philosophy or world-view
!Set of ideas that incorporate:
- !An account of the existing order a world view
- !A model of a desired future
- !Outline of how change can and should be brought about
CLASSICAL IDEOLOGICAL TRADITIONS:
1. LIBERALISM:
I. Individualism (as opposed to social group – goal to construct society which individuals can
flourish and develop each pursuing their own ‘good’ as they define it at the best of their
ability.
II. Freedom/liberty ( Only freedom under the law)
III. Reason (believe in progress and capacity of human beings to resolve their differences through
debate and argument rather than war
IV. Equality (specific, equality of OPPORTUNITY, merit, fair competition, moral worth, equality
before the law, political one person one vote, level playing field) MERITOCRACY supported
V. Tolerance = social enrichment
VI. Consent (government must ask consent of people, social relationships based on consent)
VII. Constitutionalism got ustt hae poe to deide oe eethig
VIII.Embraces broad range of beliefs and values
IX. !Reflected aspirations of rising industrial middle class
X. Linked with capitalism
Classical liberalism: Laissez faire, unsympathetic attitude to state intervention
Modern liberalism: sympathetic attitude towards state intervention (economic
management and social regulation)
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