What Is Politics?
Politics is one of the most intriguing and enigmatic subjects you can study at school. Whether it’s at GCSE or A-Level, or as an undergraduate degree, the study of politics offers you a wide range of skills that can be used to better understand how the world and people around us work. It’s also through the field of politics that countries continue to operate, key policies are implemented and global challenges are tackled.
In the simplest sense, politics is about governing a city, state or country – the way in which decisions are made and laws put in place that govern people and their rights and freedoms. It’s the process by which societies function and grow, with laws and policies being developed and amended to ensure that everyone can enjoy a safe and happy life together.
There are a few different ways in which the term ‘politics’ can be defined, with the narrowest definition being that which concerns state affairs. This would then include government institutions that provide public services, enforce laws and ensure security. In a democracy, these are run by elected politicians who have been chosen to do so on the basis of the manifestos they have outlined during their election campaigns.
However, there are those who argue that this first definition is too restrictive and that it misses out a lot of the political activities, actors and spaces that exist in society. For example, some would argue that animal rights movements or even a decision not to consume meat are political, as they are trying to influence the broader policy making process.
There is also a more general argument that politics encompasses everything that involves the distribution of resources or power in human societies, whether that be at the community, local government or national level. This view of politics is sometimes called the pluralist model, and it argues that power is dispersed among many competing interest groups which are engaged in endless negotiations over resources and status.
The classic view of politics as solely, or mainly, being about the distribution of resources and power has been challenged in recent years by new ideas about the nature of politics. This is known as the ‘ideational turn’ in studies of politics, and it suggests that political struggle is about much more than just distribution – it is also about contesting ways of framing or narrating the problems we face.
These debates about the scope of politics are important, as they help us to make sense of what’s going on in the world around us. But it’s also important to bear in mind that when a definition of politics is stretched too far, it can become meaningless and lose its ability to inform us about the world. So, let’s explore a few broad definitions of politics to see if they succeed at incorporating the most important aspects of this fascinating and complex subject.
Politics is one of the most intriguing and enigmatic subjects you can study at school. Whether it’s at GCSE or A-Level, or as an undergraduate degree, the study of politics offers you a wide range of skills that can be used to better understand how the world and people around us work. It’s also through the field of politics that countries continue to operate, key policies are implemented and global challenges are tackled. In the simplest sense, politics is about governing a city, state or country – the way in which decisions are made and laws put in place that govern people and their rights and freedoms. It’s the process by which societies function and grow, with laws and policies being developed and amended to ensure that everyone can enjoy a safe and happy life together. There are a few different ways in which the term ‘politics’ can be defined, with the narrowest definition being that which concerns state affairs. This would then include government institutions that provide public services, enforce laws and ensure security. In a democracy, these are run by elected politicians who have been chosen to do so on the basis of the manifestos they have outlined during their election campaigns. However, there are those who argue that this first definition is too restrictive and that it misses out a lot of the political activities, actors and spaces that exist in society. For example, some would argue that animal rights movements or even a decision not to consume meat are political, as they are trying to influence the broader policy making process. There is also a more general argument that politics encompasses everything that involves the distribution of resources or power in human societies, whether that be at the community, local government or national level. This view of politics is sometimes called the pluralist model, and it argues that power is dispersed among many competing interest groups which are engaged in endless negotiations over resources and status. The classic view of politics as solely, or mainly, being about the distribution of resources and power has been challenged in recent years by new ideas about the nature of politics. This is known as the ‘ideational turn’ in studies of politics, and it suggests that political struggle is about much more than just distribution – it is also about contesting ways of framing or narrating the problems we face. These debates about the scope of politics are important, as they help us to make sense of what’s going on in the world around us. But it’s also important to bear in mind that when a definition of politics is stretched too far, it can become meaningless and lose its ability to inform us about the world. So, let’s explore a few broad definitions of politics to see if they succeed at incorporating the most important aspects of this fascinating and complex subject.