Political institution

Political institution

Polity as an Institution:

For fulfilling political requirements of communities, political institutions have been developed. We call political system a procedure of political activities, rules, assumptions, costumes and behaviors and working system. It is an institution with the working procedure, allocation of power and asserting leadership rights. Leadership is selected by political system and that leadership makes policies for conducting economic, social, political activities and implements these policies. Formation of a constitution, its implementation, and foreign affairs are also broadened through political institution. As these institution have a significant role in ruling system of the country, it has a significant impact on the socio cultural life as well.

By political institution, in sociology and anthropology, do not only mean the state, government or political parties but also the behavior, order, ideas, working system and methods within the family or a community and for them. About the political institution, James W. Vander Zanden says, “The political institution is the social structure concerned with the use and distribution of power within the society.”

Polity a decision making component of society:

Politics guide the entire society. Politics remain at the heart of entire social and economic system. Which classes of people or communities have access to the process of state mechanism also affect socio economic development of society. What kind of economic development is to be conducted, what kind of religious policies are to be adopted, how to impart people of various classes and layers in the process of development, are significantly affected by political system. The role of politics in decision making process is as follows.

 ◦ Politics is the major base of operation of state system.

 ◦ Economic, social, academic, cultural, religious rules and regulations and laws that are made by the state, instruct the society.

◦ Participatory, democratic and pro-people ruling system can change entirely the society.

◦ If democratic system is adopted in political system; pro-people ruling can be established through political parties as common people convey their interest to their leaders.

◦ If politics is regulated as per the peoples mandate, independent and participatory society can institutionally be developed.

◦ Through the activities of political parties like awareness programs, political training, people’s mobilization, people’s mandates are materialized in the decision making process of a society.

One of the important factors of societies remaining unchanged is the negative impact of politics. Countries in the world are suffered from dictatorial rule, caste system, transgression, and backward movement due to the politics without the long term vision, political lingering and intervention by foreign countries. Thus, decision making process of such countries need to be participatory. Proper participation can only transform society as per people’s will.

In traditional societies, people of certain class, caste, religion, culture had determining role in decision making process but in modern democratic societies; decision are made by the people elected democratically by the people. But, in each sectors politics plays a decisive role in decision making process. Thus, politics is such a social institution, which determines to operate social issues like cases, problems, requirements with essential strategies for the social sake. Politics does not have legal authority. The roles of the political parties in these issues are much important. Hence, politics is such a social institution which organizes and institutionalizes the devolution of power and decision making process.

Political role of Household level institution:

Household level activities like human behavior, relationships, and activities, division of labor and availability of rights affects politics. Politics is not only an institution formed to operate the state but also a way, belief and behavior of dealing in household, determination of role and participation of an individual, and the way of mobilizing the available means and resources. Even the household level gender inequality affects the entire political system. Likewise, decision making culture of senior member in a household may sometimes hinder the leadership capability of remaining members. Better political culture can only be expected if a family adopt political rules, nature and behavior from its very foundation.

Political role of Community level Institution:

Community based political institutions can play an important role in mobilization of community level means and resources. Not only this, wrath, anger, quarrel, conforming of border issue etc are also solved by this institution. Domination of specific caste-based people and less concern of some people in politics create imbalances in national level politics. The base of national politics no doubt, is the community level political system, behavior, relationships and activities.

Political role of State Level Institution:

Introduction:

A state is an organized political community living under a government. States may be sovereign. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union. ome states are subject to external sovereignty or hegemony where ultimate sovereignty lies in another state. The state can also be used to refer to the secular branches of government within a state, often as a manner of contrasting them with churches and civilian institutions (civil society).

There is no academic consensus on the most appropriate definition of the state. The term "state" refers to a set of different, but interrelated and often overlapping, theories about a certain range of political phenomena. The act of defining the term can be seen as part of an ideological conflict, because different definitions lead to different theories of state function, and as a result validate different political strategies. The most commonly used definition is Max Weber's, which describes the state as a compulsory political organization with a centralized government that maintains a monopoly of the legitimate use of force within a certain territory. General categories of state institutions include administrative bureaucracies, legal systems, and military or religious organizations.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a state is "a an organized political community under one government; a commonwealth; a nation. b such a community forming part of a federal republic, esp. the United States of America".

Essential Elements of a state:

Legitimacy:

Legal bases are needed to be a state. Legally established political organs can only be a state. State is an authorized legal institution to create and practice law.

Population:

The significance of a state relies upon the population. Thus, population is an essential requirement for a state. State without people cannot be expected.

Territory:

A certain geographical territory is needed to be a state. Certain frontier territory is only authorized by a state.

Sovereignty:

Sovereignty is the most important feature of the state. Sovereign state can only gains the authority, makes various decisions, people gets the entire political rights.

Government:

State erects government and mechanism to conduct its entire activities. Government has an important role in rendering life to a society.

Functions of the state:

The functions of the state are as follows:

1. Preserve national integrity.
2. To guarantee social justice, peace, security and people’s rights.
3. To construct agriculture, health, industry, education related infrastructures.
4. To protect natural resources, heritages, religion, forests and animals.
5. Develop international relations.

Social significance of political role performed by state:

State is the supreme legal institution of a nation. It conducts mass welfare activities for its people. It can make plans for progress, sovereignty and development. The functions of the state given below have the social significance.

1. Establishment of mass welfare state
2. All types of discrimination based on caste, linguistic, regional, gender etc are receded.
3. People of each and every class and level are more likely to participate in the nation building process.
4. Ailments, hunger, poverty, backwardness can be eradicates.

The nature of state, if made people friendly, society of a complete justice can be created.

Social significance of political role performed by Community:

Whatever the political activities are conducted in the community level, the main objective is to enhance social development and to solve problems of that community. In some communities, the access and involvement of women, lower caste, in politics are denied. Political activities in community level attempt to solve local level disputes on the basis of community participation. Other important factor of community level political activities is leadership. Equal participation of people of various strata in policy making activities are more unlikely to appear. As a result, we can see under representation of various marginalized communities in national level political leadership.

Social significance of political role performed by household:

Decision making process in household levels also affects the social development process. If each member of a family irrespective of their sex, age, relationship, has equal access to the decision making process, it contributes positively in the progress in a family and in community. This process can also enhance the level of education, employment, division of labor, production and participation. Family itself is the basic unit of political system. Equality and justice based household and community activities can only render prosperity in a society. Thus, family needs to adapt even with the sudden changes in a society.