Importance of Politics and Why Is It Important (7 Reasons)

Politics is a vital part of our everyday lives since it has the capacity to affect everything in our surroundings. Politics, of course, may mean various things to different individuals. If you’re like most people, you might think that politics is only about who governs the country or who gets elected president.

Yet, politics is more than what happens in your country/state or at campaign rallies; it is also about how power and influence are used to shape our communities and how we interact with one another on a daily basis. Understanding politics is essential for understanding how to govern societies, produce laws, and form policies. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, politics is important in various aspects of society, economy, and governance.

In this blog, we will define politics and discuss why we as humans need to understand how it works in order to build a better world for ourselves and future generations.

What is Politics?

Politics is derived from the Greek term polis, which means “city-state” or “community.” The city-states were self-contained political entities with their own set of laws and traditions. Politics is the study of governance and the use of political power. It is also the process of making decisions, both influencing and making them. Politics is a method of deciding how power is distributed in society.

Politicians utilize their thoughts about society’s needs to be elected so that they may make laws that help address those needs better than anybody else could without first getting elected. That being said, we need politicians because sometimes laws are insufficient—and sometimes they are excessive—but the duty of politicians is more than just legislating. One of the most significant areas of our existence is politics. It may influence every decision we make and has a significant impact on our everyday life.

Politics and Society

Politics is the study, practice, and theory of influencing others on a large scale. It is also the study or application of how power and resources are distributed within a particular community as well as how communities interact with one another.

How Does Politics Affect Society?

Politics has an impact on our daily lives because governments adopt laws that affect our earnings, taxes, and access to health care, among other social and economic issues.  It has a long history in education, particularly in higher education, where young people participate by lending them political backing. Politics is a practice that extends beyond political parties and is found in all facets of work and life, particularly in education. Politics is the study of advancing the development of a state-organized system of civil society.

Public Policy

Public policymakers create solutions to problems that communities face through legislation, advocacy, and education.  Municipalities—a city, county, or town whose government policies are carried out by local officials—both elected and staff—are the basic unit of community legal systems in the United States. The State designates local governmental authorities, and public policies are created to benefit community members. Typically, local governments are in charge of providing services to the community, like:

1. Public recreation and parks
2. Fire and police protection
3. Housing
4. Medical and judicial systems
5. Public works and education in transportation

Types of Public Policy

There are four types of public policy:

1. Regulatory
2. Constituent
3. Distributive
4. Redistributive

1 Regulatory Public Policy Example

The 1994 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is a law that affects public policy. It demonstrates that protecting women is a top priority.

2 Constituent Public Policy Example

An illustration of essential public policy is the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) of 1946. This statute defined the processes that federal regulatory agencies must follow when creating, recommending, and enforcing new regulations.

3 Distributive Public Policy Example

To build and maintain roads and bridges, the U.S. government gives money to the Department of Transportation (DOT), which then distributes it to the states; this is an example of distributive public policy. This spending will be advantageous to everyone.

4 Redistributive Public Policy Example

Examples of redistributive public policy include initiatives created to help poor people or families with financial support. Examples include the Supplemental Nutritional Aid Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Importance of Voting and Civic Engagement

These are the reasons of the importance of voting

1. Voting protects democracy
2. Voting shapes social agendas
3. Every vote matters
4. Voting shapes economy
5. Voting impacts the present and future

According to research on the importance of political participation and civic engagement in youth development, a variety of civic engagement activities can help young people effectively learn about their rights, obligations, and responsibilities as citizens, laying the groundwork for their transition to adulthood.  When all people—individually and collectively—get involved and take action, our communities and our democracy become more just and equitable.

Politics and the Environment

The importance of politics is not only limited to society, but it also expands to other aspects like the environment.  Climate change will lead to an increase in political violence, social unrest, and geopolitical dangers. Rising water stress and food insecurity will amplify mass migration and conflicts. Climate change is anticipated to have the greatest impact on country risks in low-income countries, which means that all nations will be struck hard but unevenly.

Role of Government Policies

The government is frequently credited with playing a crucial role in preserving the environment, for example, by enacting laws that directly safeguard the environment or addressing issues related to collective action in the environment (Mansbridge Citation 2014).

Examples of Environmental Policies

The six laws of environmental protection and wildlife are:

1.  The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
2.  The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
3.  The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
4.  Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974
5.  Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
6.  The Indian Forest Act, 1927.

What Factors Are Crucial for a Sustainable Future?

The significance of sustainable development is as follows:

1. Making wise use of the resources at hand while attempting to preserve the ecological balance.
2. To stop the degradation of the environment and emphasize environmental protection.

Politics and Human Rights

After society and the environment, the importance of politics also expands to human rights. Politics and human rights are major themes that influence how individuals live and participate in society. Politics is concerned with how choices are made and who has the authority to make them, whereas human rights are the fundamental rights and liberties that all individuals should enjoy, regardless of their origin or identity.

In other words, politics and human rights are often viewed as two sides of the same coin. Understanding these principles is critical for all citizens, including kids, since it allows them to be educated and involved members of their communities.  Let us learn more about politics and human rights so that we may better grasp their importance in our daily lives.

Role of Government and Civil Society in Protecting Human Rights

Civil society organizations provide crucial research to assist governments in comprehending and addressing issues and requirements locally. They keep an eye on how the courts are operating to make sure that everyone’s rights are upheld and the voices of the victims are heard.

Example of a Political Social Issue?

Examples include plagiarism in academic work, the division of the church and state, hacking, teaching evolution, gangs, hate speech, suicide, urban sprawl, and unions.

The election of a new president raises the profile of social issues in particular. More political concerns are as follows:

• Anti-Corruption and Transparency.
• Arms Control and Nonproliferation.
• Climate Crisis.
• Countering Terrorism.
• COVID-19 Response and Recovery.
• Cyber Issues.
• Disarming Disinformation.
• Energy.

The Necessity of Speaking Out Against Oppression and Injustice

When injustice is prevalent, it transcends all moral limitations and makes place for additional injustice. You put your human rights at risk of being violated in the future if you don’t speak up against small things now. If minor problems are frequently ignored, they develop into larger societal problems.

Fighting civil injustice is crucial because everyone deserves to be treated fairly and without discrimination based on their gender, race, or skin tone. – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Politics and Technology

Politics and technology are two critical parts of our civilization that influence the world in which we live.  It is concerned with how people make decisions and manage society, whereas technology is concerned with how we utilize tools and technologies to solve issues and enhance our lives.

In today’s digital age, technology has a tremendous impact on politics and how governments function. From the use of social media to influence elections to the use of data analytics in policymaking, technology has altered the political scene in several ways.  Understanding the link between the importance of politics and technology is critical for young pupils navigating the intricacies of modern life and becoming educated citizens.

Technology’s Effects on Society and the Economy

Costs can be lowered, procedures can be made more efficient, and so on. E-commerce, marketing strategies, the promotion of globalization, employment instability, and work design are the key effects of information technology on the economy.

The use of technology affects how individuals communicate, acquire knowledge, and think. It influences how people regularly interact with one another and helps society. Nowadays, technology is crucial to society.

How Would You Define Net Neutrality?

According to the concept of “net neutrality,” all websites, applications, and material must be accessible at the same speed and on the same terms, without any content being blocked or an internet service provider’s (ISP) priority.

What Are the Data Privacy Act’s Three Guiding Principles?

Transparency, justification, and proportionality principles. Subject to conformity to the principles of transparency, legitimate purpose, and proportionality, the processing of personal data shall be allowed.

What Are the Cycles of Innovation and Technology Important For?

Organizations have benefited much from the cycles of innovation and technology because they were able to adapt to the changes. Innovation is the addition of new features to already existing items and procedures. An organization can therefore achieve productivity as a result.

Politics and Media

The goal of political journalism is to arm people with the knowledge they need to make their own opinions and get involved in issues that will have an impact on them locally, nationally, or both.

What Is the Connection Between Politics and Journalism?

Journalists depend on politicians and politics for news, while politicians and politics depend on journalists for publicity. Journalists have the power to harm people’s reputations, which can have drastic consequences for the chances of politicians or political parties winning elections.

What Is the Media’s Function in Influencing Public Opinion?

The media primarily sets the agenda in two ways:

1.  By reporting the news
2.  By advising us on how to interpret it. While structuring the news to evoke a particular emotion in the unaware spectator, press coverage conveys to audiences the significance of the concerns presented.

Social media, or more precisely news media, is crucial in democratic nations because it encourages public participation. Therefore, it is essential that the news is accurate in order to maintain citizens’ levels of trust in healthy democratic networks

Examples of Media Biases

Examples of media bias are as follows:

1. Advertising bias: When stories are chosen or slanted to appeal to advertisers.
2. Concision bias is the propensity for emphasizing viewpoints that can be briefly stated, drowning out more unusual viewpoints that require more time to express.
3. The treatment of the opposing parties in political disputes and the production of biased news that promotes one side are examples of content bias.
4. Corporate bias refers to the selection or slanting of stories to appease media owners who are corporations.
5. The term “decision-making bias” refers to the tendency of journalists’ work to be influenced by their motivations, attitudes, or views. It is typically negative.

Importance of politics in education

It is safe to say that, unless you come from a highly politicized family, you hear about it at school first. Indeed, formal education involves a historical approach to politics but it doesn’t quite explain it fully. This is to say that we, as kids and teenagers, learn about history, but do not have an insight into how the system works in depth. We learn about past presidencies but learn very little about how they got to power, what were their convictions, and what motivated people to vote for them or not.

Also, we never fully grasp the structure of the system and how it works. It is not common to find people with a clear notion about ministries, secretaries, and the role of each. For example, not everybody is familiar with the difference between deputies and senators. Can you imagine teachers going for a field trip to The House of Congress, for example? That could spark interest in the younger generations.

Importance of Free Press and Independent Journalism

A free and independent press is thought to be essential for a solid, functioning democracy. Journalism serves as a watchdog of corporate and governmental behavior in the absence of censorship by disseminating information to keep the voters informed. By Using Politics, We Can Build a Better Future A group of activities known as politics includes those that involve group decision-making or other forms of interpersonal power dynamics, such as the distribution of wealth or status. Political theory aids in the interpretation of laws and the constitution by bureaucrats, lawmakers, government employees, and advocates. Additionally, it aids in exploring solutions to societal problems and understanding their causes

Conclusion

Finally, there is great importance of politics in our society, economy, government, and even the environment. It entails the study of governance, the use of political power, and the decision-making process that affects our everyday lives.  Politics is more than just political parties and elections; it also includes public policies that affect numerous parts of our society, such as education, healthcare, transportation, and the environment. Voting and civic participation are critical for preserving democracy and defining our social and economic objectives. Government policies have an important role in resolving environmental challenges and conserving natural resources. Understanding the importance of politics and its consequences is critical for creating a better world for ourselves and future generations.

FAQS

Q. How Critical Thinking Plays a Role in Media and Information Literacy?

Young learners, who also need to be able to solve issues, gather information, form views, assess sources, and more, can benefit greatly from critical thinking. MIL is an essential skill, given the wealth of data and accurate and false information that is readily available online In other words, by empowering them to: think about the viewer’s standpoint, critical media literacy practices empower students to evaluate the media they experience. Identify the values and feelings that the artwork evokes

• How Do You Deal With Uncertainty and Change?

The best methods and pointers for guiding your group through uncertainty,

1. Integrity with the group and the brand.
2. Consider what other people have to say.
3. Avoid striving for perfection.
4. Accept the ambiguity of the unknowable.

• What do new generations think about politics?

New generations, what do they think about politics? As an example, we could take some data from the last election in the United States (one of the few countries in the world where voting is not mandatory). Arguably, due to the #Blacklivesmatter movement and following social revolts, the percentage of voters was the highest since 1908. This is to say that the number of voters grew from 136 million people in 2016 to 165 million people in 2020. What does this increment mean? We could read it from several perspectives:

It matters – Recent revolts that made it to the media were led by youngsters who took the word publicly with wisdom and courage. The message they were trying to put across was that actions matter and can change reality. Could this be translated to more voters? Recent research indicates that highly politicized environments influence youngsters’ involvement.

Believing in change through a vote – The idea that voting could generate change had been abandoned by most people. Common phrases like “if voting could change something, it would be illegal” could be heard from youngsters and elder people alike. We could say that the increase in voting participation could mean a restored belief in the system.

• Why does participation matter?

There is more than one way to participate in politics. The best-known one is voting. Taking responsibility for the future of your country, region, state, province, and city is paramount to generating change. Although it seems insignificant, it is the small effort of each citizen that counts in the final result.

The second way, although less popular, is much more effective: getting involved in a political party. Being the change you would like to see in the next election is something that might seem far or odd. But it is the most important way of using politics to change the world. Instead of complaining about no candidate suiting your needs, it is better to become the candidate that can live up to those expectations.