Three Ways to Think About Politics
Politics is the authoritative and legitimate struggle for limited resources or precious rights and privileges within the context of a government, economy or society. It is a key aspect of every culture, and the debates we have in our societies are almost always political. Students need to learn about politics in order to become informed citizens, and teachers need to be able to explain how the world of politics works to their students.
One way to think about politics is as a game, in which the rules provide constraints and opportunities, reality presents resources and challenges, and choices determine political outcomes. People who know the rules, or can play them to their advantage, have a better chance of succeeding in any endeavor. This applies to business, sports and even relationships. Having a clear understanding of how the political system works can make it easier for students to navigate the world around them, no matter what their stance on an issue is.
A second way to think about politics is as a process of organizing and distributing power. Niccolo Machiavelli wrote, in his 1532 book “The Prince,” that the art of politics is to gain power and keep it. This view holds that the mass of special and general interests in a society are overwhelming, and it is only by forging alliances that one can achieve success in politics.
In many countries, the aggregation of interest groups is made manageable by the existence of institutions that help people understand the political landscape. These include centralized organizations that represent workers, farmers or businesses, and political parties that bring together people with similar ideas and common goals. These institutions allow for a more focused effort to be made on the issues that matter most, and they ensure that a diversity of voices is heard.
The third way to think about politics is as a set of negotiated interactions between competing groups, individuals and organizations. This view is based on the idea that there are no “right” or “wrong” answers in politics, and that the best solution is usually achieved through negotiation. This view is also supported by the fact that, in practice, most policies are a result of compromises and trade-offs between competing interests.
For example, in the United States, federal, state and local governments each take on responsibilities for different aspects of policy making. Local governments such as cities and towns often have devolved powers to make decisions affecting their own residents, while the federal government takes on national issues such as immigration, foreign affairs and minting money. Each level of government has its own political process and a specific set of negotiated interactions.
Politics is the authoritative and legitimate struggle for limited resources or precious rights and privileges within the context of a government, economy or society. It is a key aspect of every culture, and the debates we have in our societies are almost always political. Students need to learn about politics in order to become informed citizens, and teachers need to be able to explain how the world of politics works to their students. One way to think about politics is as a game, in which the rules provide constraints and opportunities, reality presents resources and challenges, and choices determine political outcomes. People who know the rules, or can play them to their advantage, have a better chance of succeeding in any endeavor. This applies to business, sports and even relationships. Having a clear understanding of how the political system works can make it easier for students to navigate the world around them, no matter what their stance on an issue is. A second way to think about politics is as a process of organizing and distributing power. Niccolo Machiavelli wrote, in his 1532 book “The Prince,” that the art of politics is to gain power and keep it. This view holds that the mass of special and general interests in a society are overwhelming, and it is only by forging alliances that one can achieve success in politics. In many countries, the aggregation of interest groups is made manageable by the existence of institutions that help people understand the political landscape. These include centralized organizations that represent workers, farmers or businesses, and political parties that bring together people with similar ideas and common goals. These institutions allow for a more focused effort to be made on the issues that matter most, and they ensure that a diversity of voices is heard. The third way to think about politics is as a set of negotiated interactions between competing groups, individuals and organizations. This view is based on the idea that there are no “right” or “wrong” answers in politics, and that the best solution is usually achieved through negotiation. This view is also supported by the fact that, in practice, most policies are a result of compromises and trade-offs between competing interests. For example, in the United States, federal, state and local governments each take on responsibilities for different aspects of policy making. Local governments such as cities and towns often have devolved powers to make decisions affecting their own residents, while the federal government takes on national issues such as immigration, foreign affairs and minting money. Each level of government has its own political process and a specific set of negotiated interactions.