1. Introduction to Politics

2. What is the study of politics about
first of all, what is politics?
Politics, in its broadest sense, is the activity through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they live (Heywood, Politics, p.4)
Heywood identifies 4 key ways to think about politics

3. Politics as government
politics means the study of government
Government refers to institutions and structures constructing the state
politics takes place within polity – very narrow conception
polity - a society organized through the exercise of political authority
disadvantage of this way – many people, groups and institutions can be considered to be outside the politics

4. Politics as public affairs
much broader category
public versus private sphere, here lies the distinction between political and non- political
What constitutes division between public and private?
civil society vs. state
political vs. personal

5. politics as public activity is good for society (Aristotle,Hannah Arendt, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill)
liberals – politics as public activity is viewed as unwanted interference in individual life
Liberals preffer civil society over state

6. Politics as conflict resolution
process to resolve conflicts
compromise and negotiation instead of force
Problem: overtly optimistic view, this form of politics occurs in Western democracies
Requires procedural and substantive consensus
normative goal

7. Politics as power Politics is about power
relations on power basis are everywhere – politics takes place at every level of social interaction
includes social and economic interactions
Who got power and why and how do they use it?

8. Faces of power power as decision-making power as agenda setting
conscious action influencing the content of decision
Robert Dahl – Who Governs? Democracy and Power in an American City
power as agenda setting
ability to prevent decisions being made
necessity to set or control the agenda
power as thought control
ability to influence thinking

9. Max Weber Politics as Vocation he distinguishes power and domination
power can possess everybody with ability to force somebody to do something against the will
domination – people obey somebody due to authority
authority is perceived as legitimate

10. Types of domination distinguished on the basis of legitimacy
traditional domination
charismatic domination
legal domination

11. Primacy of politics (Raymond Aron)
modern societies shared many same features; they can be distinguished by organization of power
life is shaped by relationships among people – political aspect of this relationship is the most important
Politics is the part of social life where orders are issued and taken

12. Government this course – Politics as government
Government as the executive (Government vs. government)
Government as executive, legislature and judiciary (power vs. powers)
Government as the state (includes army, police etc.)
Governance and governmental process

13. Political Science
Politics used to be part of philosophy, law amd history
from late 19th century – turn of politics into a scientific discipline
UNESCO congress (Paris 1948) – political science formally established

14. Scope of political science according to UNESCO congress
Political theory – history of theories, political though
Political institutions
Political parties and groups, public opinion (includes political participation)
International relations

15. 3 approaches to Politics 1. Normative approach
stems from political philosophy
questions what should, ought or must be, rather than what is
study of ideas, doctrines and morality
terms like freedom, justice, civil rights
It cannot be objective
Voegelin, Arendt, Schmit

16. Empirical approach based on real experience
emphasis on objectivity and neutrality to values
Aristotle, Machiavelli – first proponents
follows thinking of positivism (Auguste Comte)
social sciences should adopt methods of natural sciences

17. Dialectic oriented on looking for historicallly conditioned truth
refers to Hegel‘s conception of history (dialectic) and Marx‘s societal theory

18. Reading
Heywood, Andrew Politics. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, chapter 1.