Political SystemsSimilarities

Some highly important political systems have not been studied much by political scientistssuch asOrganizations within which people spend much of their daily livesandVery small political systems within which people spend most of the rest of their daily lives.

Political scientists have focused on small subset of political systems of truly extraordinary importance:

The relations of influence that occur in governing states, or what we call national political systems.

Two Extreme Views (but common views about political systems)Political Systems never vary in their important aspects.

Political Systems can be molded to suit the hearts desire.

Political Systems never vary in their important aspects.Gaetano Mosca, Vilfredo Pareto & Roberto Michels assert that political systems that govern the states have many similaraties and always have.

All political systems are dominated by a ruling class.that only two classes would appear- a class that rules and a class that is ruled.

Political Systems can be molded to suit the hearts desire.Opposite to the three mens view were the naive enthusiasts who firmly believe on Utopias arrival and when it comes, politics will disappear.

attempts to introduce new politics may produce discernible and important differences in how political systems function.

Similarities of Political SystemsUneven Access to Political ResourcesQuest for Influence over GovernmentUneven Distribution of Influence over GovernmentPursuit and Resolution of Conflicting AimsAcquisition of LegitimacyDevelopment of an IdeologyImpact of other Political SystemsInevitability of Change

Uneven Access to Political ResourcesPolitical resources are means by which a person(s) can exert influence over another person(s). There are four reasons why the control over political resources is distributed unevenly.

Some specialization of function exists in every society.-advanced societies have extensive specialization of function (division of labor).Inherited Differences-Not all people start life with the same access to resources. These endowments are either biological or social.

3.Different experiences-Together with different inheritance lead to different motivations in turn lead to differences in skills and resourcesEncouraged difference in incentives and goals-to equip individuals for different specialties

Quest for Influence over GovernmentSome members of a political system seek to gain influence over the policies, rules and decisions enforced by the government, while others do not.

The seek for influence is not necessarily for ones own sake, but because control over government helps in achieving one or more other goals or values.

Uneven Distribution of Influence over GovernmentThe greater the resources, the easier one can influence the government if and when they wish to do.The greater the influence, the greater the control over more political resources.

Aristotles Politics, Rousseaus A Discourse on the Origins of Inequality Marx and Engels Communist Manifesto

POLITICAL LEADERS refer to those individuals who have the greatest influence over the government in the political system of a state.

Pursuit and Resolution of Conflicting AimsPeople living in state pursue conflicting aims, which are dealt with among other means, by the government of the state.

Conflict & ConsensusHobbes: the propensity of people to conflict with one anotherAristotle & Rousseau: propensity for agreement & cooperation

Acquisition of LegitimacyA government is said to be legitimate if

believe that

possessPEOPLEstructure, procedures, acts, decisions, policies, officials, or leaders of governmentrightness, propriety, or moral goodness

the form of influence when B follows A

enables a leader to govern while minimizing expenditures of other political resourcesLEGITIMACYLeadersInfluenceAUTHORITY

Development of an IdeologyIdeology is a set of doctrines that purport to explain to explain and justify their leadership in the system.

To endow their leadership with authority and legitimacy To enable them to exert the most economical form of influence on a regular and sustained basis.To indicate moral, religious, factual, and other assumptions that are assumed to justify the system.

However, a reigning ideologycannot be completely explained by the desires of the leaders to obtain legitimacy and authorityis not usually a unified, consistent body of beliefs accepted by everyone in a political systemis probably never uniformly accepted by all members of a systemmay be rejectedat times, is the revolutionary ideology before

Impact of other Political SystemsThe functioning of a political system is affected by existence of other political systems.

-Political systems do not exist in isolation. -It engages in foreign relations.

Inevitability of ChangeAll political systems undergo change.-peaceful or violent, evolutionary or revolutionary

PLATO: Seeing that everything has a beginning has also an end.

Perfect AristocracyTimocracyOligarchyDemocracyTyranny

No matter how permanent a political system is, significant changes are bound to take place.

Because change is so difficult to measure, a very large measure of uncertainty is an inescapable feature of political life.

Political Utopias exclude the idea of change.