Chapter 1 03 19 2013 Politics the study of who gets what when how the struggle b t indivs or groups w in a society for the allocation of resources privileges the authoritative allocation of resources in demand by society through mainly peaceful means to resolve community conflict no one clear generalized definition Politics determines education taxes amt of pollutants security etc Political Science the study of how organized disputes are articulated then resolved by public decisions made by govs Power the ability of govs to make enforce rules to influence the behavior of indivs groups can be non tangible in nature 3 Components of Power Authority Legitimacy Legitimate Authority Authority flows not only from physical methods but also from the norms that are recognized embraced by society s members Norms moral spiritual legal codes Legitimacy a condition in which power is exercised through established institutions according to accepted rules not exercised this way Illegitimate The presence of authority implies a sense of legitimacy Legitimate Authority the legal moral right of a gov to rule over a specific population control a specific territory Order an existing desired arrangement of institutions based on certain principles life liberty equality prosperity security Associated w the rule of law law order Linked to values such as stability obedience Levels in which Order exists Community an association of indivs who share a common identity Government a human invention by which societies are ruled Order exists at the state level nation state lavel in multinational binding rules are made states stateless nations State country an independent political administrative unit that successfully claims the allegiance of a given population also exercises a monopoly on the legitimate use of force controls the territory inhabited by its citizens subjects this exercise of force control is sovereignty Nation denotes a specific people w a distinct shared language culture or major ethnic group A state can also be a nation nation state Stateless nations exist Multinational state a state that contains two or more major ethno linguistic groups nations in the geographic territories it controls Justice fairness entails the distribution of rewards burdens in society in accordance w what is deserved Power is exercise in the interests of the rulers or ruled Why do we study politics Better understanding of ideas Greater awareness of issues To provide answers to the most important questions should Ought Knowledge of issues related to public policy By what methods do we study politics Positivist approach o Involves empirical numerical measurable observations generally involving stats Normative approach o Based on examining fundamental enduring s 03 19 2013 03 19 2013