WHAT IS A STATE?

- In the study of political science, one of the more important units of analysis is the stale. To understand what
a state is, we should first differentiate it with some concepts that are usually confused with it. The first one is
nation. At first glance, the use of state and nation may be the same. In fact, some analysis use them
interchangeably. However, they are distinct from each other. Technically, when you say nation, it refers to a
group of persons belonging to one community, having one culture and language, and living the same
experience, It does not mean that nation would automatically have a territory and government. It exclusively
refers to the people.

- Another concept confused with the state is the nation-stale. Basically, we can say that this is closer to the real
concept of the state since this also includes all the elements of the state people, territory government, and
sovereignty. However, the main difference lies in the characteristic of the populace. In a nation state, the
people are homogenous. This means that the population has one culture, one language, one experience, and
one ethnicity. Thus, a country can be called a nation-state only when the population living in the state has no
or almost no difference. Thus, this would require a population that has no variety. This is the reason why this
concept is an ideal one because it is close to impossibility. The closest country here is probably Japan. But,
even in Japan, there are still ethnic differences.

- In this context, then, what is a state? The traditional, formal-legal, definition of the state is, it is a community
of persons, more or less numerous, living in a specific territory, having a government that commands
obedience within the territory and is free from external control. From this definition, we can derive the
essential elements of the state people, territory, government, and sovereignty.

POPULATION
- State is a community of persons. It is a human political institution. Without a population there can be no
State. Population can be more or less but it has to be there. There are States with very small populations like
Switzerland, Canada and others, and there are States like China, India and others, with very large
populations, The people living in the State are the citizens of the State. They enjoy rights and freedom as
citizens as well as perform several duties towards the State. When citizens of another State are living in the
territory of the State, they are called aliens. All the persons, citizens as well as aliens, who are living in the
territory of the State are duty bound to obey the state laws and policies. The State exercises supreme
authority over them through its government.

- There is no definite limit for the size of population essential for a State However, It is recognized that the
population should be nether too large nor very small. It has to be within a reasonable limit. It should be
determined on the basis of the size of the territory of the State, the available resources, the standard of living
expected and needs of defense, production of goods and supplies.

TERRITORY
- Territory is the second essential element of the State. State is a territorial unit Definite territory is its
essential component. A State cannot exist in the air or at sea. It is essentially a territorial State. The size of
the territory of a State can be big or small; nevertheless, it has to be a definite, well-marked portion of
territory. - Further, it must be noted that the territory of the state includes not only the land but also, rivers,
lakes, canals inland seas if any, a portion of coastal sea -territorial waters or maritime belt, continental shelf,
mountains, hills and all other land features along with the air space above the territory.
GOVERNMENT
- Government is the organization or machinery or agency or magistracy of the State which makes,
implements, enforces and adjudicates the laws of the state. Government is the third essential element of the
State. The state exercises its sovereign power through its government.

- This sometimes creates the impression that there is no difference between the State and Government.
However it must be clearly noted that government is just one element of the State. It is the agent or the
working agency of the State. Sovereignty belongs to the State; the government only uses it on behalf of the
State.

- Each government has three organs - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary. Each of these three organs of the
government carries out its assigned functions. Independence of Judiciary is also a settled rule, The
relationship between the Legislature and Executive is defined by law and it corresponds to the adopted form
of government. In a Parliamentary form of government, like the one which is working in India and Britain,
the legislature and executive are closely related and the latter is collectively responsible before the former.

- Government is an essential element of State. However it keeps on changing after regular intervals, Further,
Government can be of any form-Monarchy or Aristocracy or Dictatorship or Democracy. It can be either
Parliamentary or Presidential or both. It can be Unitary or Federal or of mixture of these two in its
organization and working. In contemporary times every civilized State has a democratic representative,
responsible transparent and accountable government.

SOVEREIGNTY
- Sovereignty is the most exclusive element of State. State alone possess sovereignty. Without sovereignty no
state can exit. Some institutions can have the first three elements (Population, Territory, and Government)
but not sovereignty.

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State has the exclusive tile and prerogative to exercise supreme power over all it people and territory. In fact,
Sovereignty is the bast on which the State regulates all aspects of the life of the people living in its territory.

As the supreme power of the State, Sovereignty us two dimensions:

1. Internal Sovereignty:
- It means the power of the State to order and regulate the activities of all the people, groups and institutions
which are at work within its territory. All these institutions always act in accordance with the laws of the
State. The State can punish them for every violation of any of its laws.

2. External Sovereignty:
- It means complete independence of the State from external control. It also means the full freedom of the
State to participate in the activities of the community of nations, Each state has the sovereign power to
formulate and act on the basis of its independent foreign policy.
- We can define external sovereignty of the State as its sovereign equality with every other state. State
voluntarily accepts rules of international law, These cannot be forced upon the State. India is free to sign or
not to sign any treaty with any other state. No state can force it to do so.
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WHAT IS GOVERNMENT?
- As discussed earlier, the government is an essential element of the state. It is the agency wherein the will of
the state is manifested. In democratic countries like the Philippines, the will of the state is also the will of the
people. On the other hand, in autocratic countries, the will of the state is the will of the autocrat. Thus,
governments vary depending on how they are going to express the will of the state. Also the government is in
charge of making, implementing, and adjudicating laws to regulate the society. Hence, if the government
fails in doing their duty, society might fall into anarchy.

- Government basically has three purposes based on the social contract theory. The first one is the
maintenance of peace and order. The government should use the power it has to make sure that the safety of
the people is given attention. The second purpose is to protect the rights of the people. To avoid abusing its
power, the state must also recognize the rights of the people and protect it. The last purpose is to promote
the common good. In short, the government should work to promote the betterment of society.

- Generally, a government has three (3) branches. The first one is the executive branch. This branch of
government is involved in the process of rule-implementation. Basically, this branch is the one charge of
enforcing the laws and rules in society. In the context of the Philippines, the executive branch refers to the
President and its cabinet members. The next branch is the legislative branch. The duty of this branch has
something to do with rule-making. They make laws and policies that are essential in keeping society in order.
The Congress of the Philippines is seen as the legislative branch of government. The last branch of
government is known as the judicial branch. Apparently, this branch of government is in charge of rule-
adjudication or rule-interpretation. The aforementioned branch is in charge of resolving conflicts on the
rules and laws being implemented. Hence, this branch serves as the arbiter of parties in case of different
interpretations and conflicts in relation to the law.

- The main reason why the government is divided into different branches is to follow the concept of separation
of powers. Observably, each branch has its own role and does it independently. There should be no
overlapping of roles and duties since it would violate the principle per se. In this context, these branches are
co-equal with each other. This means that no branch is higher than the other, Moreover, if there would be
interactions among them, the interactions would be following the principle of checks and balances. The
reason behind this checks and balances is to avoid the abuse of power by a certain branch, For example,
when the legislature makes a law, it should first be approved by the executive before it can be implemented.
If there will be cases wherein the executive did not like the law or part of the law, the executive has veto
power - a power that rejects a bill or part of the bill. In response, if the legislature did not agree with the veto,
the legislature can override the veto by getting the number of votes required. In the case of the judicial
branch, it can declare a law made by the legislature or a decree made by the executive as constitutional or
unconstitutional since it is their duty to interpret if the law or decree is consistent with constitution. In
response, the legislative can impeach member of the Supreme Court or the President is in charge of pointing
the members of the judiciary. In short, each branch can counteract each other's powers to prevent any abuse
by one.

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FIVE TYPES OF GOVERNMENT
1. Democracy
- A democracy can be defined as a government system with supreme power placed in the hands of the people,
it can be traced back to as early as the fifth century B.C. In fact, the word democracy is Greek for *people
power". Philippines is as an example of a democratic government system, Other examples of democratic
states include Aruba, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

2. Republic
- In a republic government system, the power also rests with the people, as they are in charge of electing or
choosing the country's leader, instead of the leader being appointed or inheriting power. Broadly defined, a
republic is a government system without a monarch. A republic may be governed by a group of nobles, as
long as there is not a single monarch. Some examples of countries with a republic government system
include Argentina, Bolivia, Czech Republic and France.

3. Monarchy
- In a monarchy, state power is held by a single family that inherits rule from one Generation to the next. In a
monarchy, an individual from the royal family holds the position of power until they die. Today, the majority
of monarchy governments have transitioned to constitutional monarchies, where the monarch is head of
state but only performs ceremonial roles and does not have state power. Only a few countries still have
systems where the monarch retains control; these include Brunei, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Swaziland.

4. Communism
- À communist government system is usually based on à particular ideology of communism taught by Karl
Marx or Vladimir Lenin. A single party or group of people usually runs communist states, In some cases,
citizens of a communist state are given certain jobs or life duties in an effort to obtain collective citizenship
for the state. Examples of communist states include China, Cuba and Vietnam.

5. Dictatorship
- In a dictatorship, a single person, a dictator, has absolute power over the state. It is not necessarily ruled by a
theology or belief. It is an authoritarian form of government where one person is in charge of enforcing and
enacting the law. Aspects often include military organizational backing, unfair elections (if any) and various
human rights violations. A dictator does not usually inherit their power like a monarch does; they either
seize control of the state by force or through (usually unfair) elections. Dictators are not held accountable for
their actions and thus are free to do as they please, including limiting citizens rights, Burundi, Chad,
Equatorial Guinea and North Korea are contemporary examples of countries run by a dictator.

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“While these types of government systems all vary, they have at least one similarity: the allocation of power.
Whether it be the allocation of power to a single person, a group of people, or evenly distributed to everyone, power
is the shred theme of all types of government systems.” -Hine, H. (2018)

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ASSESSMENT I.

MODIFIED TRUE OR FALSE. Write T if the statement is correct. If it is wrong replace the underlined word with the
correct answer on the space provided before the number.

1. Legislative is in charge of enforcing, the laws and rules in society.

2. Nation refer to a group of persons belonging to one community, having one culture and language, and living
the same experience.
3. Philippines is as an example of a dictatorship government system.
4. Politics is the study and research about the human activity that deals to a certain extent, with power, conflict,
and decision-making.
5. The state has 3 branches namely legislative, judicial, and executive.
6. The executive branch of government refers to the president and its cabinet members.
7. Judicial has the power to veto.
8. Monarchy is a kind of government that is described as the government of the people, by the people, and for
the people?
9. The essential elements of the state are people, territory, government, and politics.
10. Politics is a human activity that deals to a certain extent, with power, conflict, and decision-making.
11. Idiotes refers to the Greek City-State.
12. Political ideology is a political process wherein one should make decisions based on the utility of the choice.
13. A communist government system is usually based on a particular ideology of communism taught by Plato.
14. In a republic government system, the power also rests with the people, as they are in charge of electing of
choosing the country's leader, instead of the leader being appointed or inheriting power.
15. North Korea is a contemporary example of country under democratic type of government.

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II. ESSAY. Explain the following principles. Write your answers on the space provided.

1. "No man is an island" (anchor your explanation to the concept of Politics)

2. Separation of Powers.

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