On ‘Political Institutions’

On „Political Institutions‟

Prof. Lourdes Veneracion-Rallonza, PhDDepartment of Political Science

Ateneo De Manila University

'Community-based' ‘Adversarial’

Collective binding-decisions to regulate common interest

Implementing decisions

Interpretation of rules

punishment

Creation of legitimacy

Implementing ruler‟s will

disputes

Actions against those who challenge rules

Two stories…

Basic Types of Institutions

Rule-making

Rule-applying/enforcing

Rule adjudicating

Discourses

Normative

- justice, equality, rights

- „discursive political institutions‟ as representation of various currents of perspectives

- discussion, deliberation, and negotiation

- discover common principles that should prevail in society

- “just political institutions generate just societies” (John Rawls)

Discourses

‘Quantified’

- „tragedy of Political Science‟ (David Ricci)

- mass data and policy analysis

- technical concepts that are measurable: „attitude,‟ „cognition,‟ „socialization,‟ „system‟

o Structural-functional: functions (institutions emerge to solve societies‟ recurring problems)

o Historical-institutionalism: impact of „historical moment‟ (distribution of power and influence by various groups)

o Economic: rational choice (utility-maximizing individuals)

So, what are „political institutions‟?

Formal: “arrangements for aggregating individuals and regulating their behavior through the use of explicit rules and decision processes enforced by an actor or set of actors formally recognized as possessing such power” (Levi 1990)

Informal: unwritten rules such as „customs,‟ „culture,‟ „habits,‟ „social norms‟ (March and Olsen 1989; Scharpf 1989; Hall 1986)

What do „political institutions‟ do: two end points of the continuum…

Economic approach

- individual preferences

- „logic of exchange‟ (change of strategy but not preference)

- collective choice

Cultural/Sociological

- preference based on situation

- „logic of appropriateness‟ (locating the self and appropriate action in a particular situation)

„Political institutions‟ and Change

Product of unintended consequence

Evolution „survival‟ of the most necessary

Institutional design by strategic agents

Ultimate question: structure vs. agency

Governments as Political Institutions: Basic Types

I. Based on the ‘number of people ruling’

# of Person/s

‘Ruling’

Ruling for

INTEREST

of OTHERS

Ruling for SELF-

INTEREST

One Monarchy Tyranny

Few Aristocracy Oligarchy

Many Polity Democracy

II. Based on the relationship between the Executive and Legislative branches

•Presidential- close relations

•Parliamentary- politics of competition

III. Based scope of power of the national government

Unitary government

- from the Greek word „unitas‟

- (usually) there is centralization of power

Federal government

- from the Greek word „feoderis‟

- decentralization of power

IV. Based on ‘ideological’ labels/categories

Democratic government – perfect democracy, democracy, limited democracy

Non-democratic government –authoritarian, totalitarian, perfect totalitarian

Spectrum of Government Power

Perfect democracy Perfect Totalitarianism

„Democratic‟ Experience: Some Variations

CATEGORY ATTRIBUTE

Party System 2-party vs. multi-party

Legislative Assembly Unicameral vs. bicameral

Government Structure Unitarian vs. Federalist

Central Authority Parliamentary vs. Presidential

Local Government Weak vs. strong

Focus: Philippine Context

Branches and constitutional contexts

Recurring themes: unitary vs. federal, presidential vs. parliamentary, centralized vs. decentralized