Concepts Of State & Government

Question 1

What are the elements of the state?

Answer 1

1) People: mass of population living within the state
2) Territory: includes the land, rivers, lakes and certain area of sea which abuts its coasts and airspace
3) Government: refers to the agency through which the will of the state is formulated, expressed and carried out
4) Sovereignty: supreme power of the state to command and enforce obedience to its will from people within its jursidiction

Question 2

What are the manifestations of sovereignty?

Answer 2

Internal: power of the state to rule within its territory

External: freedom of the state to carry out its activities without subjection (independence)

Question 3

What is the divine right theory?

Answer 3

It is an origin wherein it holds that the state is of divine creation and the ruler is ordained by God to govern the people

Question 4

What is the Necessity or force theory?

Answer 4

It maintains that state must have been created through force by some great warriors

Question 5

What is the paternalistic theory?

Answer 5

It attributes the origin of states to the enlargement of the family which remained under the authority of the father and mother

Question 6

What about social contract theory?

Answer 6

Asserts that early states must have been formed by deliberate and voluntary compact among the people to form a society and organize gov’t for their common good

Question 7

What is the first difference between nation and state

Answer 7

Nation is an ethnic concept.
It is a group of people bound together by certain characteristics
State is a political concept

Question 8

2nd diff bet state and nation?

Answer 8

State is not subject to external control while a nation may or not be independent of external control

Question 9

3rd diff bet state and nation

Answer 9

A single state=one or more nation and vice versa

Question 10

What is a government?

Answer 10

Agency through which the state expresses its will. It can stand without a state. It can change and its form can change

Question 11

How is the state diff from gov’t?

Answer 11

A state can’t exist without a government. It can stay the same as long as the essential elements are present.

Question 12

What is one purpose & necessity of gov’t?

Answer 12

Advancement of the public welfare: for protection of society, security of persons and property, administration of justice, preservation of state from external danger

Question 13

The second necessity and purpose of the gov’t?

Answer 13

Consequence of absence: without gov’t = anarchy, disorder and fear will rise and progress, development and freedom will never be experienced or enjoyed

Question 14

What is monarchy?

Answer 14

Supreme & final authority is in one person without election, nature or duration

Question 15

What are the two monarchies?

Answer 15

Absolute - ruler rules by divine right

Limited - ruler rules in accordance w/ consti

Question 16

What is aristocracy?

Answer 16

Political power is exercised by few privileged class (oligarchy)

Question 17

Democracy?

Answer 17

Power is exercised by majority of the people

Question 18

What are the two kinds of democracy?

Answer 18

Direct/ Pure - will of the state is formulated directly through the people in an assembly

Indirect/Republican - will of the state is formulated through select body of persons chose to represent

Question 19

What is unitary gov’t?

Answer 19

Control of national and local affairs is exercised by the central or national gov’t

Question 20

Federal gov’t?

Answer 20

Powers of gov’t is divided between two sets of organs. One for national affairs and the other for local affairs.

Question 21

Parliamentary gov’t?

Answer 21

State confers upon the legislature the power to terminate the tenure of office of the real executive

Question 22

Presidential gov’t?

Answer 22

State makes exec constitutionally independent of the legislature as regards his tenure & to a large extent as regards his policies and acts

Question 23

What is a state?

Answer 23

Community of persons more or less numerous, permanently occupying a definite portion of territory, has a gov’t on their own who and enjoys freedom from external control