5 Political organization

of societies

1. Overview
Political geography is the field of human geography that is concerned with the study of the
organization of society in space. The state has been traditionally the basic organization of
society.
The traditional state is characterised by its economic, political and cultural sovereignty. This
sovereignty can be exercised democratically or non-democratically.
States grant part of their sovereignty to entities above the state (supranational entities), such
as the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) or the European Union. Some competences
are also transfered locally to entities below the state (substate entities) such as towns,
counties, or what we call in Spain “Autonomous Communities”.

2. Sovereign State

a. Concept
b. Elements
c. Functions
d. The administration

3. Forms of government

a. Democracy

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 a.1 Concept
The term derives from the Greek words “demos” people and “cratia” power. Thus,
democracy is defined as
.
the government in which supreme power is vested in the
people

Democracy is a political government carried out either directly by the people (direct
democracy) or by means of elected representatives of the people (Representative
democracy).

a.2 Elements

 Referendum
A referendum (also known as a plebiscite or a ballot question) is a direct vote in
which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal.
It is therefore a yes/no question.
 Elections
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses
their representatives to hold public office.
For elections to be democratic they must be:
Free: all the citizens can be candidates.
Plural: they must offer several options.
Carried out by universal suffrage: the right to vote is not restricted by
race, gender, belief, wealth or social status.

 Political Parties
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to attain and
maintain political power within government, usually by participating in electoral
campaigns.
Parties express their ideology or vision in a written platform or manifesto
consiting of a list of the actions which a political party supports in order to
appeal to the general public for the purpose of having said party's candidates
voted into office.
 Separation of Powers
It the principle or system of vesting in separate branches the executive,
legislative, and judicial powers of a government.

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 Legislative function: The parliament makes and votes the laws. Controls the
executive power. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have
exclusive authority to raise taxes and adopt the budget.
Executive function: The government enforces laws. Decides the political
priorities of the government.
Judiciary function: interpret laws.in the name of the sovereign or state. The
judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes.
Theoretically in democratic states there is a separation of powers so that one
institution does not have all the power. However, in practice very often these
powers are fused since they are controlled by the same political party. The
executive is identified by the Head of Government.

4. Types of democratic states

We will consider three types of modalities:

A. Constitutional Monarchy and Constitutional Republic

A constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as
head of state within the parameters of a constitution. Their position is hereditary
Most constitutional monarchies employ a parliamentary system in which the
Monarch may have strictly Ceremonial duties or may have Reserve Powers,
depending on the constitution, have a directly or indirectly elected prime
minister who is the head of government and exercises effective political power.
In Europe the United Kingdom, Sweeden, Belgium, the Netherlands are
examples of constitutional monarchies.
A constitutional republic is a state where the head of state and other officials
are elected as representatives of the people, and must govern according to
existing constitutional law that limits the government's power over citizens. The
head of the state is the President of the Republic. The government of the state is
in the hands of the President of the government or Prime Minister.
Examples of constitutional republics are France, Italy and Austria.

B. Liberal and social states

Liberal derives from Latin liber, "free”. Thus, Liberal states refers to political
systems in which there are attempts to:
• defend and increase civil liberties.
• there is no central planning authority but the prices are decided by the demand-
supply scale. For example, higher demand for certain goods and services lead to
higher prices and lower demand for certain goods lead to lower prices.

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 • increase religious, political and intellectual freedom of citizens against the
intrusion of governments, institutions and powerful forces in society.
• question the demands made by vested interest groups seeking special privileges.
• develop a society open to talent and which rewards citizens on merit, rather than
on rank, privilege or status
• frame rules that maximise the well-being of all or most citizens

The goal of social democracy is to reform capitalism through parliamentary and

democratic processes.
• This reform is in order to achieve a welfare state.
• Government regulation of the market, and various state sponsored programs to
ameliorate and remove the inequities and injustices inflicted by the capitalist
market system.

C. Centralised and decentralised states

A centralized government puts all power and responsibility in the hands of one
person. This type of government works best in a small nation, where a small
government would be more efficent. (France and Poland)
A decentralized government spreads the responsibility and power among more
people. Germany with its organization in Länders (states) is an example of
decentralised state.

5. Types of non democratic states

There are states in which the power is exercised by one person or group.

Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government where the monarch

exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government,
thus exerting political power over the sovereign state and its subject peoples. In
an absolute monarchy, the transmission of power is two-fold, hereditary and
marital; as absolute governor, the monarch’s authority is not legally bound or
restricted by a constitution. Examples are Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Dictatorship form of government in which one person or a small group
possesses absolute power without effective constitutional limitations and often
without consent of those being governed.

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 In the twentieth century, hereditary dictatorship has become a common
phenomenon. Examples are frecuent in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
The term dictatorship comes from the Latin title dictator, which in the Roman
Republic designated a temporary magistrate who was granted extraordinary
powers in order to deal with state crises. Modern dictators, however, resemble
ancient tyrants rather than ancient dictators. Ancient philosophers’ descriptions
of the tyrannies of Greece and Sicily go far toward characterizing modern
dictatorships. Dictators usually resort to force or fraud to gain despotic political
power, which they maintain through the use of intimidation, terror, and the
suppression of basic.

Totalitarianism describes a state that regulates nearly every aspect of public

and private behavior of the people.

6.Organizations above and below the

state

As we mentioned at the begining of the unit, Today, nation-states are less

independent and sovereign than they were in former times. Nowadays there are
organizations that limit the states' power.
These organizations include: Supranational Organizations (SNOs) and Non
Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
A. A non-governmental organization (NGO) is any non-profit, voluntary
citizens' group which is organized on a local, national or international levelnwith
no participation or representation of any government.
In the cases in which NGOs are funded totally or partially by governments, the
NGO maintains its non-governmental status by excluding government
representatives from membership in the organization.
NGOs exist for a variety of reasons, usually to further the political or social
goals of their members or funders. Examples include improving the state of the
natural environment, encouraging the observance of human rights, improving the
welfare of the disadvantaged, or representing a corporate agenda. However,
there are a huge number of such organizations and their goals cover a broad
range of political and philosophical positions.
Legally NGOs may take different forms depending on the coutry's laws.
Examples found worldwide are: voluntary association, charities (charitable
organization), foundation, trust ( a relationship whereby property is managed by
one person , persons or organizations for the benefit of another.