PS141 Revised Proposal

7/28/2019 PS141 Revised Proposal

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CHAPTER I

Introduction

Background of the Study

The Philippine political system is based on the principle that sovereignty resides

in the people and that all authority emanates from them.1

Whether the person likes it or not, virtually no one is completely beyond the

reach of some kind of political system. A citizen encounters politics in the government of

a country, town, school, church, business firm, trade union, club, political party, civic

association and a host of other organizations. Politics is unavoidable fact of human

existence. Everyone is involved in some fashion at some time in some kind of political

system.2

Although the level of citizen interest and participation in any one election may be

explained largely in terms of such factors as the attractiveness of one or both candidates

and the perceived importance of the campaign issues, an understanding of long-range

trends in level of electoral participation requires, in addition, the consideration of

broader and more enduring political values and attitudes. For that matter, individual

differences in involvement in any particular election are also better understood if we

have some notion as to the basic attitudes held by these individuals with regard to

political activity.3

Political Participation may describe any voluntary act to influence elections or

public policy. It may be as simple as casting a ballot or it may mean running for office; it

1 Raul P. De Guzman and Mila A. Reforma. Government and Politics of the Philippines Southeast AsianStudies Program, (Oxford University Press, 1988), p. 270.2 Robert Dahl. Modern Political Analysis (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1991), p. 1.3 Angus Campbell, et al., Sense of Political Efficacy and Political Paarticipation.


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may be intended to influence the broad outlines of policy, or it may be very specific, e.g.,

seeking benefits for an individual.4

Political participation applies to all political actions of individuals. In ancient

Athens, direct participation in the political affairs of the city was deemed to be the

essence of democracy. However even though informed participation is desirable, it is not

a necessary condition of democracy. Today, with states forming ever larger units

encompassing millions of people, democracy and direct public participation in decision-

making are not inextricably bound.5

Nonparticipation is not necessarily in indication of alienation, nor is it

necessarily a bad thing. It could indicate hostility or indifference, but it might also mean

satisfaction and consent with the way elected, responsible politicians are carrying out

their tasks. What is important is that democracies provide opportunities for

participation, so that when individuals or groups feel strongly about an issue, they are

free to generate political activity, mobilize people, and actively promote their interests.6

Peoples ideas and attitudes must in some way be expressed and communicated

to government.7Just as government affects people, people affect government. One way

people can influence government is through the force of public opinion. As even more

direct way people can make their opinions felt is by voting.8

4Richard Johnston, Political Participation cited at http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA00063725 Robert Jackson and Doreen Jackson. A comparative Introduction to Political Science. (Prentice Hall,Inc., 1997) p. 110.6 Ibid., p. 110.7 Richard C. Remy. United States Government: Democracy in Action. (Glencoe McGrow-Hill, 1996.), p.304.8 Milton C. Cummings, Jr. and David Wise. Democracy Under Pressure: An Introduction to AmericanPolitical System 9th Ed.(Harcourt College Publishers, 2001),p. 183.


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Some people do not vote because they may feel the system holds no benefits for

them, or because they feel there is no difference between the candidates. For some, not

voting may be a form of protest. Others are not voters because they are apathetic about

politics and political issues.9

People are not equally concerned with political life. Some people are indifferent

to politics; others are deeply involved.10

Hence, this paper is concern in a sense of political participation of Young Adults

in Barangay Poblacion Dalican, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao. Certainly, the young

adults are composed of those residents in Barangay Poblacion Dalican who may or may

not participate in political matters. Gathering, measuring and analyzing their way and

level of participation will give results whether the Young Adults in Barangay Poblacion

Dalican, as citizens, are concern and active about public affairs or unconcerned about

politics. Also, the results will determine whether the respondents are largely apolitical,

political, power seekers and powerful.

Both as a student of Political Science, the researchers chose this topic because

they are much interested to know if their co- citizens are concern or not about politics

which affect them as ones being governed. More importantly, Barangay Poblacion

Dalican which is located in rural area with Young Adults from near conflicted

community exposed to many political issues, the level of participation must be

determined.

Statement of the problem

1. What are the reasons that made the Young Adults to participate or not to

participate in political matters?

9 Ibid., p. 184.10 Infra., p.96.


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2. What are some ways of political participation in which the Young Adults are most

involved?

3. Does socio-economic status (i.e., educational background, occupation, sex, age,

religion, marital status and annual family income) of the Young Adults affect

their political involvement so as with their power-seeking?

4. What are the perceptions of the Young Adults in rural area in relation to power-

seeking as well as relating the number of Young Adults who gain power relative to

the number of those who seek for power in the politics?

Scope and Limitations of the Study

The study will be limited on the Young Adults in Barangay Poblacion Dalican,

and not any other sectors in rural area. The power-seekers and the powerful are those

Young Adults who run for any position in any election such as Barangay election,

National election or organizational election, etc. Likewise, the study will be limited by

the time constraints and by the data available.

Conceptual Framework

This study utilizes some of the concepts, assumptions, and propositions from

Robert Dahls Political Man and Julian L. Woodward and Elmo Ropers Political

Activity of American Citizens as a conceptual framework.

Power- Seeker

Political Stratum

Apolitical

Stratum

A olitical Stratum

Powerful

Power-

seeker


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Figure 1. A diagram taken from Robert Dahl's Political Man showing the division of thefour groups Political Strata

According to Robert Dahls Political Man, individuals who find themselves within

the boundaries of political system are by no means equally concerned with political life.11

These individuals are classified into four groups the apolitical stratum, the political

stratum, the power-seekers, and the powerful as shown in the figure above.

The apolitical stratum is the compositions of individuals who do not participate

in politics and are indifferent. These individuals perhaps chose not to involve

themselves or are not aware of the situations that are political in nature. Accordingly, it

seems, a sizable number of citizens are apathetic about politics and relatively inactive. In

short, they are apolitical. Dahl assumed six fundamental reasons which justify the act of

political indifference and apathy of any individual. The reasons are: (1) You are less

likely to get involved in politics if you place a low value on the rewards expected from

11 Supra., p. 96.

Political Stratum

Apolitical Stratum

Power-seeker


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your political involvement relative to the rewards you expect from other kinds of

activity; (2) You are less likely to get involved in politics if you think that there is no

significant difference in the alternatives before you and consequently, that what you do

wont matter; (3) You are less likely to get involved in politics if you think that what you

do wont matter for the reason that you cant significantly change the outcome anyway;

(4) You are less likely to get involved in politics if you believe that the outcome will be

relatively satisfactory to you without your involvement; (5) You are less likely to get

involved in politics if you feel that your knowledge is too limited for you to be effective

and;(6) Finally, the greater the obstacles placed in your way, the less likely you are to

become involved in politics.12

On the other hand, it appears to be true, nonetheless, that in most political

systems, those who show great interest in political matters, and concerned and informed

about politics and are active in public affairs, do not make up a large portion of adults;

usually, it appears, they are a minority.13 Anyhow, the opposite of the six fundamental

reasons of inactiveness of most citizens are assumed for the political involvement of

some citizens.14

Since this study seeks to classify the people weather they belong to the apolitical

stratum or political stratum, it immediately involves, at least, a list of what constitutes

political activity or participation. There are five (5) channels which define the political

activity and, then, in which the citizens can influence the legislators and government

officials. These are as follows: (1) voting at the polls, (2) supporting possible pressure

groups by being a member of them, (3) personally communicating directly with the

12 Supra., p. 100-101.13 Supra., p. 9714 Supra., p. 102.


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legislatures, (4) participating in political party activity and thus acquiring a claim on

legislators and (5) engaging in habitual disseminations of political participations

through word-of-mouth communications to other citizens.15

Within the political stratum some persons seek to influence the government of

the state much more vigorously than the other.16The other two classifications are within

the political stratum, but they are distinguished because they are concerned about

power-seeking and gaining of power. Furthermore, political activity tends to be greater

among persons of higher economic status. This is because these persons have more

resources to engage in political activity, especially so in seeking power.

Analytical Framework

The concepts, assumptions, propositions discussed in the conceptual framework

are operationalized and are utilized as a framework of analyzing this study.

Young Adults in rural area are considered as individuals who find themselves

within the boundaries of Philippine political system and are by no means equally

concern with political life. Hence, they can be, and afterwards be, classified into the

apolitical, the political, power-seekers and powerful.

The apolitical stratum, then, is defined as a composition of Young Adults in rural

area who are indifferent and do not participate in Philippine politics. It is tested whether

the Young Adults contains, or not, a sizeable number who are politically apathetic and

relatively inactive. Other than that, the reason of Young Adults indifference and apathy

15 Julian L. Woodward and Elmo Ropert. Political Activity of American Citizens, p133.

16 Supra., p. 102.


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is realized by putting and utilizing Dahls six fundamental reasons in the context of the

study. That is, the Young Adults are less likely to get involved in politics because (1) they

had placed a low value on the rewards expected from their political involvement relative

to the rewards they expect from other kinds of activity; (2) they had thought that there is

no significant differences in the alternatives before them and consequently, that what

they do wont matter; (3) they had though that what they do wont matter for the reason

that they cant significantly change the outcome anyway; (4) they believed that the

outcome will be relatively satisfactory to them without their involvement; (5) they felt

that their knowledge is too limited for them to be effective; and lastly (6) greater

obstacles were placed in their way.

In the contrary, the Young Adults who show great interest in political matters, are

concerned and informed about politics, and are active in public affairs constitutes the

political stratum. Does the political stratum of Young Adults composed by a small

number? This question is given adequate answer by determining the political stratum

relative to the apolitical one. Reasons of their political participation are assumed as the

opposite of the reasons of the inactiveness. Consequently, the activeness of the Young

Adults is measured by utilizing the Political Activity Index from Woodward and Ropers

article. In connection, the Young Adults, in which can influence the government officials

and that define the political activity, are derived to have parameter in measuring the

activeness. Putting those in context, the channels are (1) voting of Young Adults at the

polls, (2) Young Adults supporting to possible pressure groups by being a member to

them, (3) Young Adults personally communicating directly to any politicians, (4) Young

Adults participating in political party activity and thus acquiring a claim on any


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politician, and (5) Young Adults engaging in habitual dissemination of political opinions

through word-of mouth communications to other citizens. Then in classifying the Young

Adults into the apolitical and political strata, they are classified into Very active, Active,

these two which belongs to the latter stratum Inactive and Very inactive the other

two belongs to the former stratum.

In this attempt at knowing the perception on power-seeking, as well as the

power-seekers and powerful, of the Young Adults, election, is used as the locale/setting

of the Young Adults seeking and gaining of power because it is possible for them as

Young Adults to think to seek, power in the local political arena as well as to seek power

within their organizational group.

The power-seeker is defined as those Young Adults who run for a position in any

election. And among those aspirants who fortunately made it to the government body of

constitutes the powerful. Then, the socio economic status of the Young Adults is

associated with all the factors such as educational background, occupation, sex, age,

religion, marital status and annual family income.

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PS141 Revised Proposal