My Preface on Concepts of Politics
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My preface on Concepts of Politics
Democracy refers to a government system in which either eligible state members or the whole population governs the state and is mostly done through the elected representatives. Canada is an example of a state that practices democracy, to be specific, parliamentary democracy. The various political concepts are as discussed below.
Government is a political concept that revolves around mechanism through which the citizens are ruled or controlled (Key Concepts in Politics, 2007). The central feature of governance is its ability to collectively make decisions and its capacity to enforce these decisions that have been made. Governance may also refer to the collective body of the institutions or people who make and ensure that the laws or rules are enforced for the larger community. A democratic state would conduct a free and fair election to elect the people who will make and enforce the laws on behalf of the larger community.
Human nature is another political concept (Key Concepts in Politics, 2007). It is the immutable and essential character of human beings. This concept basically highlights what is innate about the human beings and what is considered natural about the human life. It fails, however, to emphasize on what human beings might have gained through the various forms of education or through their own social experiences. Most of the political doctrines form their basis on theories about human nature and in most cases these doctrines are simply implied. This concept does not overlook how complex human beings are.
Law is a political concept which refers to a set of enforceable and public rules which are applicable throughout the political community. For a rule to be law it must be compulsory, made by the government and must be published and recognized by the citizens as the rules of the land. Power is broadly referred to as ability to achieve an outcome that one desires. It revolves around one’s ability to keep themselves alive to the ability of the government to promote economic growth. Political analysts however see power as one’s ability to influence others to do something that isn’t of their choosing.
The state is an association which is political and has established a sovereign jurisdiction within territorial borders that have been defined (Political Concepts, 2014). The state establishes permanent institutions and then uses them to exercise authority. These institutions are public and the state portrays permanent interests of the society. Sovereignty, as a political concept, is simply the rule of unlimited or absolute power. It is divided into two that is legal and political sovereignty.
In summary, the various concepts of politics include sovereignty, the state, power, law, human nature and government. These concepts are important in political fields such as political science as they set the guidelines or the rules of engagement to be used in politics.
Reference
Gad, U. P., & Petersen, K. L. (2011). Concepts of politics in securitization studies. Security Dialogue, 42(4-5), 315-328.
Aalberg, T., Strömbäck, J., & De Vreese, C. H. (2011). The framing of politics as strategy and game: A review of concepts, operationalizations and key findings. Journalism, 1464884911427799.
