4. Oecd and opec

 

Organization of Economic co-operation and development is an international organization whose membership comprises the economically advanced countries of the world. This international economic organisation of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. The OECD provides a regular forum for discussions between government finance and trade ministers on economic matters affecting their mutual interest , particularly the promotion of economic growth and international trade, and it coordinates the provision of economic aid to the less developed countries. The OECD's structure consists of three main elements:

- The OECD member countries, each represented by a delegation led by an ambassador. Together, they form the Council.

- The OECD Substantive Committees, consist of experts from member and non-member governments.

- The OECD Secretariat, led by the Secretary-General.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (ОРЕС) is an organization established in 1960 to look after the oil interest of five countries: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. The principle aim of the organization, according to its Statute, is the determination of the best means for safeguarding their interests, individually and collectively; devising ways and means of ensuring the stabilization of prices in international oil markets with a view to eliminating harmful and unnecessary fluctuations. OPEC is often cited as an example of successful producers` cartel. In a classical „cartel“ market supply is deliberately restrained in order to force prices up by allocating production quotas to each member.

 

5. Politics

Politics is the process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The word ‘politics’ is derived from polis, literally meaning city-state. The modern form of this definition is ‘what concerns the state’.  Politic is the science of government or exercise of authority. Politics is practiced in cabinet rooms, legislative chambers, government departments and it is engaged in it by a limited group of people. As a public affairs politics is restricted to the activities of the state itself and the responsibilities which are exercised by public bodies.  Different views of politics:

1) as the art of government - the exercise of control within society through the making of collective decisions.

2) as power - politics as a struggle for resources

 

6. Governments, systems and regimes

“Goverment” refer to an institutional processes through which collective decisions are made. A political system or regime is a broader term that encompasses  not only the mechanisms of government and the institutions of the state, but also the structures and processes through which these interact with the larger society.   We classify political systems, because classifications help in understanding of politics and government. There are five types of regime in the modern world: Western polyarchies are commonly equated to the “liberal democracies” or simply “democracies”. Countries holding multiparty elections have polyarchic features. However, western polyarchies also marked by capitalist economic organization and widespread acceptance of liberal individualism. Postcommunist regimes. After the collapse of communism the Eastern European countries began their way to the liberal democracy. First issue is connected with the fact that communism cannot discarded overnight. Secondly, the process of transition to laissez-faire capitalism advocated by the IMF, unleashed deep insecurity and other structural problems. East Asian regimes. Rise of the East European Regimes changed the balance of the world economy. Main features of such regimes are Confucian cultural features  in politics and economy, low social spending and strong rule. Islamic regimes are another example of alternative path that  supposes strong theocracy from the idea that Islam is not simple religion that encompasses different spheres of life. Military regimes The classical examples of military regimes are military juntas in Latin America. However, military regimes may vary from the personalized dictatorships to the military-backed governments.

7. Political ideologies

Ideologies are the sets of basic beliefs about the political, economic, social and cultural affairs held by the majority of people within as society. Political  ideology  is  one  of  the  most  controversal  concepts    in  political  analysis. The  term  ideology  was  coined  in  1796  by  the  French , who  used  it  to  refer  to  a  new  “science  of  ideas”. From  a  social-scientific  viewpoint, an  ideology  is  a  more  or  less  coherent  set  of  ideas  that  provides  a  basis  for  organised  political  action, whether  this  is  intended  to  preserve, modify  or  overthrow  the  existing  system  of  power  relationships. Any  account  of  political  ideologies  must  start  with  liberalism. This  is  because  liberalism  is, in  effect, the  ideology  of   the  industrialised  West, and  is  sometimes  portrayed  as  a  meta – ideology  that  is  capable  of  embracing  a  broad  range  of  rival  values  and  beliefs.  The  central  theme  of  classical liberalism  is  a  commitment  to  an  extreme  form  of  individualism.

8. Democracy

Democracy is derived from greek word kratos meaning power and rule. This is a form of government in which  the people rule themselves directly without the need of public officials. This system of rules secures the rights and interests of minorities.  Democracy is the system of government that serves the interests of the people regardless of their participation in political life. Conceptions of democracy are based on the two main principles: government by the people and government for the people. The most popular is the first notion which understands democracy as ruled by people.The principle of government by the people implies that people can and should govern themselves effectively. This participation can take a number of forms:

• Direct democracy. In this case popular participation leads to direct involvement in the decision-making process.

• Representative democracy is a much more common form of democratic participation when citizens vote not to choose how to make their lives better, but to choose a person who is going to do it by making decisions for them.