What is Political Science?

What is political science?

Political science is the systematic study of government and politics. It is a branch of social science, it studies human behavior just like sociology, anthropology, psychology, and economics.

How important is political science? We need to study our government because it is connected to our daily lives. If a crime is being committed, you need to call the police department or the agency of the government to uphold the peace. If there is a fire, you ask the help of the fire department. Evidently, both are government agencies.

Why does the government or political institution exist? In the book of Politics written by Aristotle, he stated that "man by nature is a political animal." A state is a creation of nature; it is not a mere accident. Also, Samuel von Pufendorf stated, "Man is naturally sociable, and they are naturally drawn to various political associations in order to satisfy their social needs."

Work Ethics

What exactly is "work ethics"?

Work ethic is defined as the determination and dedication to one's job. Those with a strong work ethic place a high value on their professional success. They exhibit moral principles that make them outstanding employees in any position. If you have a strong work ethic, you believe in the importance of your job and typically feel that hard work is essential to maintaining a strong character (Indeed Editorial Team).

It is a soft skill, which means it is a non-technical skill related to working. This is the attitude of an individual that allows him to make decisions and perform his duties. An individual may consider the moral implications of his actions to determine what he considers appropriate and what is inappropriate in accordance with his values and principles.

Community Development

Community Development

The United Nations defines community development as “a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems.” It is based on the principles of self-help, mutual support, the building up of neighborhood capacities for problem-solving and self-presentation, and the promotion of collective action to bring a community’s preferences to the attention of political decision-makers (Thomas, 1993)

Gilchrist and Taylor suggest there are three vital aspects of community development:

1.Informal Education – learning that takes place predominantly through direct involvement in community activities

2.Collective Action – finding the power of combined voices and determination; the strength of many people acting for their mutual benefit or to champion the interests of those who cannot stand up for themselves

3.Organization Development – helping groups and bodies to evolve a form that enables the members to achieve their goals, to act legally and to be accountable to the membership and wider community.

Five-Point Community Initiatives

This cyclical model is used to judge whether our initiatives to engage, plan, implement, develop, or sustain have the right virtues to effect sustainable growth and development in the community impact. 

1. Engagement is all about connecting people to the community. Methods includes key informant interviews, focus group discussions, or survey that can contribute to our engagement with community. For instance, knowing current pulse of the community, this helps leaders to identify the pressing problems that need to be resolved.

2. Planning the realization of ideas from the blueprint. On this stage, the community holds its conference or meetings with its members together with external consultants. The community leaders have rundown on all possible options and gather inputs for possible innovations and breakthrough that are vital in advancing solutions (Delos Santos, 2018)

3. Implementation the process of making something active or effective. Community leaders are in-charge of advancing the program or project. However, public support is needed to gain traction. Principle of transparency is essential in the implementation. Disbursement of funds must be supported by the documents. Information about the program or project must be open for scrutiny.

4. Development is a process in which something grows or changes and become more advanced. Programs implemented must adapt to constantly changing variables.

5. Sustainability focuses on the meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs (Grant, 2020). The term sustainability used to indicate programs, initiatives and action aimed at the preservation of resources. The four pillars of sustainability are: human, social, economic, and environmental.

Core Values of Community Development

To better understand the importance of community work. The following are the core values surrounding community development:

1.Collaboration is the relationship between interest groups, government, and citizens. It is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of communities and other collaborators. Teamwork is essential for a community development project to succeed.

2.Participative democracy is imperative in community development, this can lead to better understanding of the problems, benefits, services, and resources needed for the project. It can also lead to innovation and partnership. Contributions of community members have significant meaning and values toward change.

3.Collective Action is an act contributing to public good or welfare of the members of the community. It is the capacity of people to work together in their common interest. This includes small-scale and large-scale activities to meet local need, as well as action to promote for change.

4.Empowerment is based on power and influence to imposed solutions. It encourages the community members to learn how power relationships operate and to develop on their ability to find answers.

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