Definition of Politics

1. Art or science of government,

concerned with guiding or
influencing governmental policy
and the art or science
concerned with winning and
holding control over a
government – art of
government “politics is not a
science … but an art
2. Political actions practices or policies
or political affairs or business
;especially competition between
interest groups or individuals for
power and leadership; political life
especially as a principal activity or
profession; political activities
characterized by an artful and
often dishonest practices
3. An activity that generally refers to an
art of getting what, when and how in
the government (Laswell 1978)
4. Politics is the public allocation of values
– means that politics encompasses
various process through which
government responds to pressure from
the larger society in particularly by
allocating benefits, rewards or penalty
• Authoritative values- are widely accepted
in society and are considered binding by
the mass of citizens
What takes places with in a polity a
system of social organization centered
upon the machinery of government
Practiced in cabinet rooms, legislatives
chambers, government department
engaged in a limited and specific group of
people notably politicians, civil servants
and lobbyist
 POLITICS AS COMPROMISE AND CONSENSUS
Politics in seen as a particular means of
resolving conflict by compromise conciliation
and negotiation rather that through face and
naked power
Portrayed as the art of the possible
 WHY IS POLITICS ESSENTIAL?
a. Gives rise to conflicts that is essential for the
mobilization of citizen awareness ,
participation , dynamism and empowerment
b.People are politically aware , they can become
more active stakeholders in charting the
destiny of the society
c. Allows greater involvement of the polity w/ the
affairs and decisions that concern them
d. Serve as an “ eye- opener” for a more
vibrant and involved citizenry
e. Serve as a way of letting the truth come
out and while it may be a painstaking
process
f. Serves to make the government
responsive to the needs of the
people and the people more
appreciative of the efforts of their
government officials
POLITICAL SCIENCE – A SYSTEMATIC AND
ACADEMIC VIEW OF POLITICS
Political science > a social science discipline
that deals with systems of government and
the analysis of political activity and political
behavior

Deals with theory and practice of politics

which is commonly thought of as the
determining of the distribution of power
and resources
• Political Scientist > engaged in
revealing the relationship
underlying political events and
conditions and form these
revelations hey attempt to construct
general principles about the way the
world and politics works
Branch of social science that studies the
state, politics and government
Aristotle -wrote the book “politics “, the
break thinker , defined political science as
the study of the state
Is not a standalone field and it intersects
many other branches like sociology ,
economics, history, anthropology, publics
policy among others
Political science is commonly divided into
distinct sub-disciplines which together
constitute the field :

• Comparative politics
• International relations
• Publics administration
• Political methodology
• International political economy
• Policy theory
• Public law
SUBFIELDS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
1. Comparative politics- study of the domestic politics, political institution and
conflicts of countries

> Involves comparisons among countries and through time with in sinlge