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1. O POLITICAL SCIENCE
- Systematic study of the state and government.
- Political - Gk. Polis = city
- Science - Lt. scire = to know
1) Science of politics have formal object: basic knowledge and understanding of the state
2) It is concerned with the association of human being into a political community
3) It deals with those relations among men and groups to the state and other states
o Scope of Political science
1) Political theory
- Entire body of doctrines relating to the origin, form and behavior and purposes of the state
2) Public law
a) Organization of governments
b) Limitations upon governmental offices and officers
c) Obligations of one state to another
o Private law – govern the relation among individuals
o Public law – includes constitutional law, administrative law and international law
3) Public administration
- Focused upon the methods and techniques used in the actual management of the state affairs by
executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.
o Interrelationship with other branches of learning
1) History – historical approach is needed in order to interpret present and probable development in
political phenomena
2) Economics – economic conditions affect the organization, development and activities of states;
economic approach is needed in order to interpret such matters as public financial policies and
government regulation of business
o Function and importance of Political science
1) Discover the principles that should be adhered to in public affairs and to study the operations of
the government
2) Findings and conclusion may be of immense practical use to constitution maker, legislators
executives and judges
3) It deals with the problems of social welfare, governmental economic programs, international
cooperation
o Goals in the study of political science
1) Education for citizenship
2) Liberal education
3) Knowledge and understanding of government

2. CONCEPTS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT
o State
- community of persons more or less numerous
- permanently occupying a definite portion of territory
- having a government of their own
- Having a great body of inhabitants which render obedience and enjoying freedom from external
control
o Elements of state
1) People
- Inhabitants living within the state
- Without people, there can be no functionaries to govern and no subjects to be governed
- Self-reliant and self sufficient
- Performs international obligations
2) Territory
- Territorial domain (fixed portion of land over which jurisdiction of the state extends)
- Fluvial and maritime domain (rivers and lakes, area of the sea which abuts upon its coasts)
- Aerial domain (air space above the land and the waters)
- Must accommodate its people
- Enables people to be self-sufficient and performs international obligations
3) Government
- Agency from which the will of the state is formulated, expressed and carried out
- Sometimes referred to the persons or aggregate
- Body of men = administration
4) Sovereignty
- Supreme power of the state to command and enforce obedience to its will from people within
jurisdiction and corollarily to have freedom from foreign control
a) Internal/ state de facto– power of the state to rule within its territory
b) External/Independence/state de jure – freedom of the state to carry out its activities without
subjections to or control by other states
o Origin of the States
1) Divine right theory – state is of divine creation and the ruler is ordained by God to govern the
people
2) Necessity or force theory – state must have been created through force, by some great warriors
who imposed their will upon the weak
3) Paternalistic theory – enlargement of the family which remained under the authority of the father
or mother
4) Social contract theory – state was formed by deliberate and voluntary compact among the people
to form a society and organize government for their common good. Justifies the right of people to
revolt against a bad ruler
5) Natural and Instinctive theory
6) Economic theory
7) Historical and Evolutionary theory

3. o Historical bases on the development of the State
1) Primitive state
2) City-state
3) Roman imperial state
4) Feudalistic stage
5) Modern state
6) World state
STATE NATION
- Political concept
- It is not subject to external control
- Single state consist of one or more nations
or people
- Ethnic concept
- May or may not be independent of external
control
- Single nation may be made up of several
state
- Group of people bound together by certain
characteristics such as common social
origin, language, custom, traditions
- Strictly synonymous with “people”
STATE GOVERNMENT
- Cannot exist without a government
- Permanent
- Agency through which the state articulates
its will
- Can exist without a state
- Changeable
o Purpose and Necessity of government
1) Advancement of public welfare – government should continually exist for the benefit of the
people governed. It is necessary for:
a) Protection of society and its members, the security of persons and property, administration of
justice and preservation of the state from external danger, dealings of the state with foreign
powers (constituent functions)
b) Advancement of the physical, economic, social and cultural well-being of the people
(ministrant functions)
2) Consequence of absence
a) Without an organized structure of government, anarchy and disorder and a general feeling of
fear and insecurity will prevail
b) Progress and development will not be possible
o Classification and Types of governments
 As to the number of persons exercising sovereign powers:
A) Monarchy – single benevolent ruler: Kings and Queens
- one in which the supreme power and the final authority is in the hands of a single person without
regard to the source of his elections
a) Absolute monarchy (Autocracy) - one in which the ruler rules by divine right
b) Limited monarchy – one in which the ruler rules in accordance with a constitution
B) Aristocracy – few benevolent rulers. Ruling class are elite educated. Small council
- One in which the political power is exercised by a few privileged class (aristocracy or oligarchy)

4. C) Oligarchy – few rulers, corrupt manner. Ruling class are the rich elite. Small council
D) Democracy – many rulers. Almost all qualified citizens participate in government
- One in which political power is exercised by a majority of the people
a) Direct or pure democracy – one in which the will of the state is formulated or expressed
directly and immediately through people in mass meeting or assembly
b) Indirect, representative or republican democracy – one in which the will of the state is
formulated and expressed through agency of a relatively small and select body of person
chosen by people to act as representative
 As to extent of powers exercised by the central or national government:
A) Unitary government – two levels of government, National and local. Central (national) level
has more control over local. Constitution grants most government powers to Central/national
level. Local level is dependent on Central
- One in which the control of national and local affairs is exercised by the central or national
government
B) Federal government – two levels of government. Federal (national) and local. The
constitution grants autonomy to the local level. Less or no dependence by local to Federal.
- One in which the powers of government are divided between 2 sets of organs; national affairs and
local affairs. Each organ being supreme within its own sphere
 As to relationship between the executive and the legislative branches of the government:
A) Parliamentary government – there is fusion of powers. Executive (prime minister) is a part of
the Legislative (House of Parliament)
- One in which the state confers upon the legislature the power to terminate the tenure of office of the
real executive.
- Cabinet or ministry is immediately and legally responsible to the legislature and immediately or
politically responsible to the electorate
- Titular or nominal executive – the Chief of State occupies a position of irresponsibility
B) Presidential government – there is separation of powers between executive and legislative
- One in which the state makes the executive constitutionally independent of the legislature as regards
his tenure and his policies and acts; furnishes him with sufficient powers to prevent the legislature
from trenching upon the sphere marked out by the constitution as executive independence and
prerogative
 As to the nature and origin of power
A) Hereditary – the power to govern is passed down within a family line, also known as the line
of succession from the Ruler to the Heir
B) Elective – the power to govern is given through the process of voting
 As to the identity or non-identity of the state and government with the people
A) Primary – known as direct democracy. The people have direct participation in the
government
B) Representative – also known as a republic. People choose through elections, a set of men and
women handle the affairs of the government. The government is accountable to the people

5. o Kinds of Constitution  body of rules and principles in accordance with which powers of
sovereignty are regularly exercise
 According to the origin - how was the constitution created
A) Cumulative - The constitution is the product of years of adding and changing to the law. No
convention (meeting of representatives) created the law. Rather as the state evolved, the rules
was also compiled and developed.
B) Conventional or enacted - The basic way of making a constitution follows enactment (the
process wherein the people or their representatives approve the law). In this process a
Constituent Assembly (composed of the present lawmakers) or Constitutional
Convention (composed of newly elected representatives) will meet and draft the law for
approval by the people through a Plebiscite.
 According to the form
A) Written - Most laws are generally in a written form. Like the Philippine constitution, it is a
written document.
B) Unwritten - Certain states have oral traditions and customs. These compose their
constitution. The policies are passed down from generation to generation. The most common
example is the constitution of England wherein many customs of government are unwritten.
 According to the ease of amendment
A) Rigid or Inelastic - The constitution is not easily changed. If policies need to be changed, it will
take a complex process. And the vote required for the approval requires a higher number than
majority (majority equals one-half plus one).
B) Flexible or Elastic - The constitution can easily be changed. Simple process and the number of
votes required is simply majority.
o Constitutional law – law embodied in the constitution