Eleanor Finch
The word 'political' has multiple meanings and interpretations. In its simplest form, it relates to the state, government, public administration, policy-making, and the body politic. Politics, as a noun, is the set of activities associated with making decisions in groups or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of status or resources. Political activity includes promoting one's political views, negotiation, law-making, and exercising internal and external force. The concept of politics has evolved since its origins in classical antiquity, with the Greek city-states and the Roman Republic, and continues to be interpreted in various ways. The term 'political' can be used to describe something that has political origins, implications, or effects, or it can refer directly to political activity, such as competition or protest.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Activities | Decision-making in groups, distribution of status or resources |
| Scope | Clans, tribes, modern local governments, companies, institutions, sovereign states, international level |
| Methods | Promoting one's political views, negotiation, law-making, exercising internal and external force, including warfare |
| Framework | Political system defines acceptable political methods within a society |
| Political Party | Members agree to take the same position on many issues and agree to support the same changes to law and the same leaders |
| Election | Competition between different parties |
| Political Philosophy | Formation of a stateless society |
| Political Activity | Displaying pictures of candidates for partisan political office, partisan political activity while on duty, in a federal facility or using federal property |
| Political Advertising | Displays, newspaper ads, billboards, signs, brochures, articles, tabloids, flyers, letters, radio or TV presentations, or other means of mass communication, used for the purpose of appealing, directly or indirectly, for votes or for financial or other support or opposition in an election campaign |
| Political Science | The branch of social science that studies politics and government |
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What You'll Learn
Political activity
In the context of a federal workplace in the United States, the Hatch Act prohibits employees from engaging in certain political activities while on duty, in a federal facility, or using federal property. This includes displaying pictures of candidates for partisan political office, including the President running for re-election. Federal employees must also be mindful of the potential for a perception of bias if donors to their spouse's campaign have connections to matters they are officially involved in.
Additionally, political activity can be seen in advertising and mass communication, which are used to appeal for votes, financial support, or opposition in an election campaign. These activities are regulated by laws and must meet certain standards, including providing sponsor identification to inform the public about who sponsored the advertisement.
The term "political" itself has multiple meanings. It can refer to something being relevant to politics, having political origins, implications, or effects. Alternatively, it can be associated with political competition, protest, or the politicization of a previously routine matter.
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Political appointees
There are different categories of political appointees, such as Schedule C appointees, who serve in confidential or policy roles subordinate to other appointees. As of 2020, there were 1,566 Schedule C positions in the United States. Another category is the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011, which reclassified about 170 PAS positions to PA (Presidential appointments without Senate confirmation). As of 2020, there were 354 PA positions, mostly in the Executive Office of the President.
The efficacy of political appointees has been studied, and one 2011 study found that programs run by political appointees from the winning party of the most recent presidential election tended to be less effective than those run by other appointees or career employees. This highlights an interesting dynamic in the performance of political appointees compared to those in career positions, who are selected based on merit and without political influence. The conversion of political appointees to career positions, known as "burrowing in," has been criticized and is subject to extra scrutiny and approval requirements.
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Political advertising
Many countries restrict the use of broadcast media for political messages. In the European Union, for instance, many countries do not permit paid-for TV or radio advertising to prevent wealthy groups from dominating airtime and distorting the political debate. The UK and Ireland also forbid paid advertisements, although they allow political parties a small number of party political broadcasts during the election period. In contrast, the United States has a very free market for broadcast political messaging. Canada allows paid-for political broadcasts but requires equitable access to the airwaves.
Social media has become a critical channel for political messaging, allowing campaigns to reach large groups of constituents with minimal physical effort or expense. With the evolution of media, political advertising has changed drastically over time. For example, in the 1964 United States presidential election, Lyndon B. Johnson's campaign aired an aggressive and controversial commercial, "The Daisy Girl," which used fear and guilt to encourage voters to act to protect the next generation. This was one of the first negative political ads and led to a landslide victory for Johnson. The next decade saw the rise of the televised political attack ad, with Richard M. Nixon employing this form of advertising with great success in his 1972 reelection campaign.
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Political parties
The modern political party emerged in Europe and the United States in the 19th century, alongside the development of electoral and parliamentary systems. The United Kingdom's Conservative Party and the Democratic Party of the United States are often referred to as the world's oldest continuous political parties. While the idea of people forming factions to advocate for shared interests is ancient, the term "party" now applies to all organised groups seeking political power, whether through democratic elections or revolution.
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Political philosophies
Another key debate in political philosophy is the role of democracy. Robert A. Dahl, for example, argues that a fundamental democratic principle is that each person in a political community is entitled to have their interests given equal consideration when it comes to binding collective decisions. He terms societies with institutions and procedures that lead to such democracy "polyarchies". On the other hand, Ronald Dworkin argues that "democracy is a substantive, not a merely procedural, ideal".
The history of political thought can be traced back to early antiquity, with works such as Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Politics, and Confucius. The Greek city-states before the 4th century granted citizenship rights to their free population, and in Athens, these rights were combined with a directly democratic form of government. The Peace of Westphalia (1648) is considered the beginning of the modern international system, where external powers should avoid interfering in another country's domestic affairs.
In modern nation-states, people often form political parties to represent their ideas, and an election is usually a competition between these different parties. Politics is exercised on many social levels, from clans and tribes of traditional societies to modern local governments, companies, institutions, and sovereign states. It involves a wide range of activities, including promoting one's political views, negotiation, law-making, and the exercise of internal and external force, including warfare.
The word "political" has at least two meanings. Firstly, it can refer to something relevant to politics, meaning it has political origins, implications, or effects. To politicize something in this sense means to make it a topic of public concern. Secondly, it can refer to political activity, such as political competition or political protest.
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Frequently asked questions
Politics is the set of activities associated with making decisions in groups or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of status or resources.
The word political has at least two meanings. First, it can mean something is relevant to politics or has political origins, implications, or effects. Second, it can be used to refer to political activity, such as political competition or political protest.
Political science is the branch of social science that studies politics and government.
Political activity can include promoting one's political views, negotiation with other political subjects, making laws, and exercising internal and external force, including warfare.
A political system is a framework that defines acceptable political methods within a society. An example of a political system is democracy, in which each person in a political community is entitled to have their interests be given equal consideration when it comes to binding collective decisions.
