2. Agenda
- What is political inequality?
- Political inequality measures
- Difference between democracy and quality of democracy
- Causes and Effect on other inequalities : Economic, Caste, Gender,
Education.
- What are the consequences of political inequality
3. What is Political Inequality?
Political Inequality: Is a matter of who makes the decisions in decision-
making bodies. At root, all conceptions reflect the well-established finding that
position within the social structure impacts individual and group political influence
(Verba et al 1978; APSA 2004).
4. Three (3) Definition of Political Inequality
1. Sorokin (1959 [1927]): Defined political inequality as the existence of
authority divisions. This rather broad definition implies that political inequality is
the existence of two or more groups with unequal political input into the decisions
that affect them.
For example, the distance between the masses and the decision makers, its
magnitude: the more layers of authority between the citizen and the decision, the
greater the political inequality.
5. Two main problems associated to this definition
First, it assumes the theoretical existence of a situation that never was: a
totally flattened authority structure, i.e. no authority divisions whatsoever,
where all groups would have equal say in legislation and policy.
Second, to measure political inequality in this way, we would need to interpret and
compare the organizational charts of governments around the world, a daunting
and potentially fruitless task.
6. Three (3) Definition of Political Inequality Cont...
2. Political Resource Approach: Defined political inequality as structured
differences in the distribution and acquisition of political resources. Here, political
resources are said to be similar to other stratification resources, such as economic
or status, and that one group has more or less of these resources than another
group.
3.Piven and Cloward’s (2005) interdependency approach to power
relations: Defined political inequality as the extent to which groups within
society differ in their influence over government decisions.
7. Democracy and Quality of Democracy
According to “Abraham Lincoln” defined Democracy as a government of
the people, by the people and for the people.
Democracy refers to a political system in which government is formed by
people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.
Qualities of Democratic Government:
Based on fundamental principles of political equality:
Other political parties permitted to function freely without any hinderance. Rule
within limits sets by constitutional law and citizen rights.
8. Democracy and Quality of Democracy Cont...
Free elections to select representative of people
The power of government based on the consent of the governed.
The argument is:
1. Is there genuine democratic government in developing countries?
(Discussion)
2. How to promote democratic government in developing nations, so that
economic development is fully realized?
9. Political Inequality Measures
1. Political participation - experience in:
- Political organizing
- Personal activism
- Attending lawful political demonstrations
2. Level of democracy ( E.g.European Social survey, Global democracy ranking)
3. Access to voting
4. Political representation of all groups and races
10. Consequences of political inequality
The rise and persistence of political inequality has motivated growing
concern about health, education, economic growth, income, equality
etc...
Rising inequality is a widespread concern. Inequality is within
most advanced and emerging markets and developing countries.
11. Reduces investment, and hence growth, by fueling economic,
financial, and political instability.
Extreme inequality may damage trust and social cohesion and thus
is also associated with conflicts, which discourage investment.
It leads to policies that hurt growth. In addition to affecting growth
drivers, inequality could result in poor public policy choices.
12. Political inequality hampers poverty reduction. It affects the pace at
which growth enables poverty reduction.
Inequality in health care access and use is more pervasivein
developing countries.
Disparities in financial services access, there are large disparitiesin
the use of financial services.
13. People in less equal societies are less likely to trust
government, less likely to engage in social or civic
participation, and less likely to be happy.
14. What matters more for long term development?
Political or Economic inequality?
15. POLITICAL DYNASTY
understood as a lineage of hereditary succession to
an essentially same position or various positions at the
same time.
Family member’s one another to the position.
Relationship is established via succession or marriage
Supreme Court (SC) Justice Antonio Carpio in a ruling in 2011
defined the term political dynasties in the case of Navarro v.
Ermita (GR No. 180050; April 12, 2011) as a “phenomenon
that concentrates political power and public resourceswithin
the control of a few families whose members alternately
holdelective offices, deftly skirtingterm limits.”
16. What gives rise to a political dynasty?
It’s a natural phenomenon no different from when
a banana plant begins to age and one or two shoots
spring up besideit.
Do political dynasties rise up from political
heavyweights? Not necessarily. Sociologist C.
Wright Mills points out that “throughout UShistory,
well over half of the American political elite have
come from families not previously connected with
political affairs. They come from families highly
placed in terms of money and position than political
influence.”
17. IN THE PHILIPPINES
W
ehave had anumber of recorded dynasties in the
past 100 years or so.
1.TheJosonsof Nueva Ecija;
2.the Laurels, Rectosand Levistesof Batangas;
3.the Remullas and Revillasof Cavite;
4.the Dysand Albanos of Isabela;
5.the Osmeñas,Cuencosand Duranos of Cebu;
6.the Singsonsof IlocosSur;
7.the Ortegas of LaUnion;
18. 8. the Marcoses of IlocosNorte;
9. the Espinosasof Masbate;
10. the Villafuertes ofBicol;
11.the Buluts ofApayao;
12.the Cuasof Quirino;
13.the Ejercito-Estradas of SanJuan;
14.the Binays of Makati…
15. Cojuangco of Tarlac
19. KINDS
Thick- simultaneous
Thin – successive
A“thin” dynastyis apolitical clan that only hastwo members
– like a father and son – swapping certain positions, as when
a mayor-father, at the end of his maximum three terms, lets
his son, who may also have reached his three-year term
either as vice mayor, councilor, provincial governor or vice
governor, running for each other’sposition,
20. A
undesirable situation, as checks
fat dynasty monopolizing power is an
and balances
among elected officials in a certain local
government are difficult if they are all from one
family.
In Maguindanao, the “fat” Ampatuan dynasty held
eight out of the 37 mayoralty posts in the
province’s 37 municipalities, Mendozasaid.
21. CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION
This provision clearly prohibits the
existence of political dynasties in the country
to preclude equal access to public service
and the right of people to choose in the local
election.
However, it is not self-executory, meaning
the provision needs an implementing law
before it can be applied.
22.
23. What is the proposal of the Congress
as of 16th congress
“A political dynasty exists when two or more individuals who
are related within the second degree of consanguinity(by
blood) or affinity hold or run for national or local office in
successive, simultaneous or overlapping terms,” the bill
said.
it said that: “No spouse, or person, elevated within the
second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity, whether
legitimate of illegitimate, full or half blood, to an
incumbent elective official seeking re-election shall be
allowed to hold to run for any local or national elective
office in the sameelection,”
24. Conclusion
There is no definite and decisive LAW until today (2016) that
mandates the unlawful stance of Political dynasty in the
Philippines thus, is an ethical issue that need to be address. It is
not the question of how many family members who will run or
who are in the political arena but how transparent they are in
the field of publicservice.
It is still vested in democratic government that those who are
qualified to run in office have both the right and the duty to be
elected, but at the end of the day the quandary is still the same ;
what is the effect of too much complacency and familiarity ?
The answer, (may or may not be) greed and abuse that leads to
corruption.
It is within the power of suffrage, good substantive laws and
equal protection that can be the light to shed the doubt.
25. ISSUES
Are there good and baddynasties?
Canpolitical dynasty be minimized if noteradicated?
What is the real problem - family relations or family motivation?
