PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND

GOVERNANCE
States, Nations, and
Globalization
Introduction

This module presents the future role of the states, nations, and globalization in
political processes. Moreover, give students profound understanding of the
evolution of globalization and the ever changing structure of nation and state.

This module is divided into three lessons:

Lesson 1 – Concept of State

Lesson 2 – Difference between State and Nation
Lesson 3 – Globalization as a context of relations among nation-state

Objectives

At the end of this module, the learners will be able to:

1. Define Nation, State and Globalization

2. Identify the different elements of the state

3. Enumerate the different forms of government

4.Differentiate nation from state by assessing their characteristics and role

in

the growth of globalization.

 5. Assess different countries as to state or nation base from its
characteristics

6. Discuss the negative and positive effects of Globalization and its effects
to

nation-states.

LESSON 1
CONCEPT OF STATE

What is It

STATE is taken from the Latin word stare meaning to stand. It is a political
community that has sovereign jurisdiction over a clearly defined territory, and
exercises authority through several institutions, including the government. It is
also defined as a self-governing entity. The term state can be used
interchangeably with the country.
5 Features of a State (Heywood, 2013):
 The state is sovereign. It exercises absolute power. Thomas Hobbes
identified the state as a “leviathan”.
 State institutions are public.
 The state is an exercise in legitimation.
 The state is an instrument of domination. State authority is backed up by
coercion. For Max Weber, the state was defined by its monopoly of the
means of “legitimate violence”.
 The state is a territorial association.

Elements of the State

1. People – the organization of human beings living together as a community.
Also
known as population or inhabitants.
2. Territory – refers to the land, sea, and airspace the state exercises jurisdiction
on.
3. Sovereignty – refers to supreme and absolute power within its territorial
boundaries.
 Types of Sovereignty
1. Internal is the power of the state to rule within its territory.
2. External is the freedom of the state to carry out its activities without
subjection to or control by other states.

Characteristics of Sovereignty
- Is absolute from the legal point of view
- Is permanent
- Sovereignty of the state is universal
- Is inalienable
- Cannot be divided between or shared by a plurality
- Is exclusive

4. Government – refers to the institution or agency or instrumentalities through

which the state maintains social order, provide public services, and
enforces binding decisions.

Forms of Government

1. According to Distribution of Power

a. Unitary. Government power is held by one central authority.
Ex. Philippines, Denmark, Italy, Finland, Peru, Rwanda
b. Confederation. It is a voluntary association of independent states that
often only delegate a few powers to the central government. Weak or
loose
organization of states agrees to follow a powerful central government.
Ex. The Commonwealth of Independent State (CIS) formerly known
as
Soviet Union, Switzerland’s canton system.
c. Federal. Government power is divided between one central and several
regional authorities.
Ex. Malaysia, USA, Nigeria, Australia

2. According to Citizen participation

a. Autocracy. Form of government wherein one person possesses
unlimited power. The citizen has limited, if any, role in the government. The
leader is from a family or from a social class or from a strong party.

Forms of Autocratic Government

1. Absolute or Totalitarian Dictatorship. The ideas of a single leader
glorified.
Government tries to control all aspect of social and economic life. The
government is not responsible to the people. Thus, the people lack the
power to limit their rulers.
Ex. Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin
 2. Absolute Monarchy. The king, queen or emperor exercises the supreme
and unlimited powers of government wherein the position is usually
inherited. Absolute monarch rules by divine right are rare today but from
the
1400s to the 1700s they ruled most of Western Europe.
Ex. King of Saudi Arabia
(The counterpart of absolute monarchy is limited monarchy wherein the
ruler
has a limited power as mandated by the constitution.)

b. Oligarchy. It is the government by the few. Sometimes a small group

exercises control, especially for corrupt and selfish purposes. The group gets its
power from military power, wealth, religion, or a combination. In here, the citizen
has a very limited role. Thus, political opposition is usually suppressed-
sometimes violently.
Ex. Communist countries such as China. Leaders in the party and armed
forces control government.

c. Democracy. It is a government base on the consent of the governed.

The people are the sovereign, thus, they hold the highest political authority.
Citizens have freedom to criticize their leaders because they are the one who
elected them in the position. People have a high degree of participation in every
government processes.

Democracy has two forms: Indirect democracy or representative

democracy is a form of democratic government wherein the people directly
elect their leader who will govern the and perform governmental functions; and
Direct democracy is a form of government wherein the people will convene in a
mass assembly and directly formulate and expressed will of the state.

3. According to Legitimacy
a. De jure. It is a form of government wherein it has the people’s support
and
possess constitutional mandate. Therefore, it is a legitimate
government.
b. De facto. It is a form of government supported by the people but no
constitutional mandate or legal support.

4. According to Executive and Legislative Relationship

a. Presidential. A form of government in which executive branch exists
separately from the legislative. The president is constitutionally independent of
the legislature because they are elected directly by the people.
b. Parliamentary. A form of government in which members of an executive
branch (the cabinet and its leader – a prime minister, premier, or chancellor) are
nominated to their positions by a legislature or parliament, and are directly
responsible to it.

Types of States (based on strength)

Characteristics

 control and tax entire territory

 ensure laws are obeyed
Effective  corruption is minor
 tend to be better off
 Ex. US, Japan, Western Europe

 crime penetrates politics

  No real national government with little if
any control of territory
Failed  Warlords and criminal cartels free to do
what they want
 Threatened with territorial breakup
 Ex. Afghanistan, Somalia

An Independent State
 Has space or territory which has internationally recognized boundaries
(boundary dispute are okay)
 Has people who live there on an ongoing basis.
 Has economic activity and an organized economy. A country regulates
foreign trade and domestic trade and issue money.
 Has the power of social engineering, such as education.
 SSHas transportation system for moving goods or services.
 Has a government which provided public services and police power.
 Has sovereignty. No other state should have power over the country’s
territory.
 Has externa recognition. A country has been “voted into the club” by other
countries.

Origin of the State

1. The theory of Divine Origin - This is the oldest among the origin of the state. It
stated about the right of kings. The formal statement of this theory is the that
the state has been established by and ordinates of God; its rulers divinely
appointed; they are accountable to no authority but God, as described in
Bible.

2. Social Contract Theory – The Divine Theory established the “Divine Right” of
 kings. In contradiction, the social contract theory emphasized that the state
was
not the creation of God but it was the result of agreement entered into by men
who originally had no government organization
In the 16th and 17th century, the Social Contract Theory gained popularity.
Social Contract Theory raised to peak in the hands of Thomas Hobbes (1588-
1679), John Locke (1632-1704) and Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1978).

Thomas Hobbles John Locke Jean-Jacques Rousseau

 Men live in a  Man sought peace  Good person was
primitive society and preservation corrupted
where there is war of all humanity  Society is ruled by
“of every man,  Man produce a greed, lust and
against every standing rule to violence
man.” live by  Nation-state got
 Man’s life was  Man entered into worse
solitary, poor, contract to assure  Called for the
nasty, brutish and safety and peace government of the
short that life, liberty, citizen to meet
 Out of this and property may and discuss
condition the be enjoyed to the difficulties
State was born fullest  Consensus knew
 To escape this  The contract is as the General will
cruel reality, men two-way
would give up
some freedom to
the state; in
return, the
government
(state) would offer
people security
through law &
order

3. Force Theory – The exponent of the force theory was of the view that the
origin of
state and its development was based on force, that is, force used by the
strong
over the weak and their consequent control over them. In such a way,
wherever
the strong group out did the weak the strong became the master and ruled
the
weak. States emerged from the conquest of other families or tribes.

4. Evolution Theory – States evolved from family units. The families grew into a
large extended family that heads of the family served as a government.
eventually evolved into tribal councils with a hierarchy of authority.

Inherent Power of the State

1. Police Power – power of the state to regulate freedoms and property right of
individuals for the protection of public safety, health, and morals or the
promotion of the public convenience and general prosperity. This is because the
welfare of the people is the supreme law.

2. Eminent Domain or Power of Expropriation – power to take private property for

public use upon payment of just compensation. It is exercised through national
or local government and private persons or corporations authorized to exercise
functions of public character.

3. Taxation – power to impose tax on individuals and properties to support the

government.
 Tax – lifeblood of government
 Uniform Taxation – persons or things belonging to the same class shall
be taxed at the same rate.
 Equitable taxation – tax burden must be imposed according to the
taxpayers’ capacity to pay.
 Progressive taxation – as the resources of the taxpayer becomes higher
his rates likewise increase

Lesson
2
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STATE
AND NATION

What is It

Concept of Nation
Nation is defined as a large body of people, associated with a particular territory,
that is sufficiently conscious of its unity to seek or to possess a government
peculiarly its own.
It is a group of people bound together by commonalities in language, history,
traditions, and religions.
Nation is a cultural-political community.
A nation is formed by factors like common race, common language, common
culture, common history, common territory etc. But none of these are absolute
essentials. For example, a nation can survive without a territory, but love for a
common territory may unite the nation. The elements that result in a nation are
not always constant. Nation is always the result of evolution.
Nation is not a legal entity. It is the strong bond between people and common
elements like ethnicity, language, and descent that keeps the nation together.
There could be a nation composed of different states or a nation with only one
state, but a state can only have one nation.
For example, the States of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, and Lebanon belong
to the Arab Nation.

State vs Nation

STATE v NATION
Definition An independent political s A large body of people united
entity with fixed geographic by common origin, history,
boundaries culture, ethnicity, or language.
Reference Refers to a territory Refers to a group of people
Territory Has a fixed territory Doesn’t have a fixed territory
Type A political and legal entity A socio-cultural entity
Origins Can be created consciously Cannot be created consciously
Stability State is not as stable as a Nation is more stable than a
nation since it is created state
concept
Sovereignty Cannot exist without Can exist without sovereignty
sovereignty
Unity United by laws and United by bonds and shared
regulations histories
Home State can be home to more People belonging to different
than one nation nations can live in different
states

Moreover, the term nation-state as being defined by UNESCO “is one where the
great majority are conscious of a common identity and share the same culture”.
A nation-state is a country formed and dominated politically by a
particular/distinct ethnic group. In this case, a vast majority of the population of
such a country tend to be of the same nationality. This is as opposed to a
multinational state, such as can be found in many parts of Africa and South
America due mainly to the colonial influence, where there are no one ethnic
group clearly holds dominance over the others.

Lesson GLOBALIZATION AS A
3 CONTEXT OF RELATIONS
AMONG NATION-STATE

1. What is globalization?
2. What are the driving forces behind globalization?
3. In what ways does globalization affect the world?

What is It

Globaliza
tion
Definition:
 Globalization refers to the growing economic interdependence of countries
worldwide through the increasing volume and variety of cross border
transactions in goods and services and of international capital flows, and
also through the more rapid and widespread diffusion of technology.

-International Monetary
Fund

 Globalization is the acceleration and intensification of interaction and

integration among the people, companies, and government of different
nations.
- The American Forum for Global
Education
 Globalization is the process through which societies have become so
intertwined or interconnected that events and decisions in one part of the
worlds have significant effects the lives of people in the other part of the
world.
 Characteristics of Globalization

1. Declining relevance of geographical distance

2. Lessening significance of territorial boundaries
3. Deepening and broadening of political processes, such that the local,
national global events constantly interact

Globalization has various aspects which affects the world in several

different ways. These aspects include:

 Industrial globalization – development of worldwide production

markets and broader access to a range of foreign products for
consumers and companies involving particularly movement of
material and goods between and within national boundaries.
 Financial globalization – development of worldwide financial
markets and better access to external financing for borrowers.
 Economic globalization – establishment of global common market,
based on the freedom of exchange of goods and capital.
 Political globalization – creation of international organization to
regulate the relationships among government and to guarantee the
rights arising social and economic globalization.
 Informational globalization – increase in information flows between
geographically remote locations.
 Cultural globalization – sharing of ideas, attitudes and values across
national borders. This sharing generally leads to an
interconnectedness and interaction between peoples of diverse
cultures and ways of life. Mass media and communication
technology are the primary instruments for cultural globalization.

What are the drivers of globalization?

In general, three factors have been identified as the main drivers of this process:
1. Technology - Many believe that technology is the number one driver behind
it, making easier for people, goods, and ideas to move across borders. The
development of transportation technology, for example, has made it possible to
move vast amounts of products and people in a short period of time. Inventions
in the area of microprocessors and telecommunications enabled highly effective
computing and communication at a low-cost level. The rapid growth of the
internet, is the latest technological driver that created global e-business and e-
commerce.
2. Trade - The effect of trade is mainly based on its ability to strengthen
interdependence between different countries.
3. Investment - The international investment drove globalization by increasing
economic integration. Many countries have experienced the benefits of
international investments, namely foreign direct investments, commercial loans,
and foreign portfolio investments. These have created new companies, jobs, and
sources of income.
Political globalization

The political dimension is a newer feature of the globalization debate, as

over the last 30 years there has been a rise in the influence and power of
international and regional institutions such as the European Union (EU),
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United
Nations (UN), the World Trade Organization (WTO), MERCOSUR in South America,
and the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). These international
and supranational actors increasingly shape domestic politics.
One of the key aspects of the political globalization is the declining
importance of the nation-state and the rise of other actors on the political scene.
The creation and existence of the United Nations is called one of the classic
examples of political globalization. This is one of the reason why there is a
heated debate over Political Globalization and Nation State. The question arises
whether or not political globalization signifies the decline of the nation-state.
Hyper globalist argue that globalization has engulfed today’s world in such a way
that state boundaries are beginning to lose significance. However, skeptics
disregard this as naive, believing that the nation-state remains the supreme
actor in international relations.

Pros of political globalization:

 Access to international aid and financial

support
 It contributes to world peace. It reduces
risk of invasions, more checks on big powers
and limitation on nationalism
 International organizations are often committed to spread values like
freedom and to fight abuses within countries
 Smaller countries can work together and gain more influence
internationally
 Governments can learn from each other

Cons of political globalization:

 State sovereignty is reduced

 The functioning of international and supranational organizations is often
not “democratic” in terms of representation and accountability
 Big countries can shape decisions in supranational organizations
 Sometimes countries can veto decisions and slow down decision making
processes
 Coordination is difficult and expensive