Essence of a policy and its interpretation in a political science

Formation of a policy as an independent field of activity of the person has caused requirement to explain its nature,

Features and social appointment in a society. On these questions in political science there is no unity of opinions. However the majority of researchers are unanimous that specificity of a policy is connected with its ability to provide integrity of a society, to co-ordinate various groups of interests, effectively to regulate social interactions.But the nature of integration function of a policy speaks differently and contacts various factors - all depends on the approach to the question decision. Such approaches a little.

Policy as relations concerning the power (the directive approach)

Supporters of the directive approach consider a policy as activity on a management and management of public processes with use of mechanisms of the power.The identification of a policy with relations concerning the government, its organisations, distribution, a line of activity allows to represent the maintenance of political sphere rather particularly. One of authors of the given approach of M.Veber wrote: «the Policy... Means aspiration to participation in the power or rendering of influence on power distribution, whether it be between the states, whether it be in the state between groups of people which it includes in itself... Who politicises, that aspires to the power: or to the power as to the means subordinated to other purposes (ideal or egoistical), or to the power" for the sake of it "to enjoy feeling of prestige which it gives».

Imperious relations represent the domination and submission relations developing between operating and operated. Ability of the first to impose the will to the second also it was interpreted differently. The power of the power spoke different stages of development of a society its divine origin; tsars, monarchs owing to their possession as exclusive qualities, and also the state as the guarantor of realisation of a divine craft on the earth were considered as carriers of the higher divine will.

However in due course the power has ceased to be an exclusive prerogative of the state, and the given approach reducing to the politician only to relations concerning the government, could not reflect neither its maintenance, nor essence. Division of the authorities in the state, occurrence of the political parties, interested groups (trade unions, mass media etc.) testified that the maintenance of political life is not reduced any more to the government. Since then new participants who influence strongly enter into the policy world - and it is rather essential - on process of acceptance of political decisions, development

Strategy of development of a society, formation of overall aims and senses of activity of the person. Besides, data of the maintenance of a policy to relations only concerning the government do not open social sense of a policy: what social groups are served by a policy, it expresses whose interests?

Policy as activity on management of a society (the functional approach)

At the functional approach the essence of a policy is seen in division of duties and powers at their indispensable coordination. Participants of political life carry out the roles strictly caused by rules which division is necessary for maintenance of efficiency of a policy and preservation of integrity of a society.

The functional approach focuses the basic attention to technologies of political interactions, that is on the one who makes political decisions as they are carried out, what ways of reaction of managing directors on changing living conditions of a society. Ancient Greek философ Платон (427-347 BC) considered that the management skill demands connection from people of "courageous customs» and "prudence". These qualities (wisdom and prudence), on Platon, philosophers who should correct the state possess. Other groups of the population - soldiers, handicraftsmen and farmers - should obey philosophers and be engaged everyone in the craft.

The philosopher already then has truly noticed that direct creators of a policy are political elite and leaders without which the policy cannot exist. Creators of a policy they are because possess the special knowledge necessary for acceptance of political decisions and a management by a society. There, where incompetence of elite and leaders is found out, are shown эгоистичность their interests, a separation from requirements of weights, the policy loses the интегративную function, ability to co-ordinate and regulate public processes. As an example it is enough to address to processes in the former states: Yugoslavia and the USSR. With disintegration of political elite which provided integration of the state formations, with destruction of the objective bases of their integrity they have broken up; and in the Yugoslavian Federation disintegration was accompanied by civil war between its some subjects.

However elite and leaders - sometimes only actors on a scene, behind them someone costs, someone skilfully supervises over their actions. The functional approach does not open social sense of a policy, the nature of those interests which it realises. It does not help searches of the answer to a question: why it is in power frequent an eye -

Through a number of definitions, each of which reflects its intrinsic signs. First, the policy is sphere of imperious relations, that is relations concerning the power, its organisation, distribution between various groups of interests, definitions of a line of activity of the state and its institutes. Secondly, the policy is a way of the organisation of the public life, based on integration of diverse interests, their coordination on the basis of the general interest uniting all members of a society. Realisation and domination of the general interest in a counterbalance to private requirements of individuals, groups are realised by the state. Thirdly, the policy represents activity of elite and leaders on a management and management of social development processes at all levels by means of government institutes.

Policy as special type of the social relation "friend-enemy" (K.Shmitt)

Special version конфликтологического understanding of a policy is political Charles Shmitt's theory (1888-1985). He suggests to develop such criterion political which would have practical and informative value and allowed to reveal specificity of a policy. As criterion for definition of the nature of polic K.Shmitt "friend-enemy" offered a dichotomy. The concept "enemy" should be interpreted in its literal sense: it is the one who is hostile to you.

In the fundamental work «Concept of a policy» (1931) it confirmed: «Specific definition political under which political actions and motivations fall, consists in accurate differentiation of the friend and the enemy... Thus the political enemy not necessarily should be bad from the point of view of morals or ugly from the point of view of an aesthetics. It it will be not obligatory to play a role of the competitor economy level, and as required with it it can appear favourable to deal. It is simple someone other, a stranger, and its nature is defined already by that all existence it proves other, another's, such that finally with it there can be conflicts which it will appear it is impossible to resolve with the help before the established general norms, at intermediary of any third party which is considered not interested and without the biassed... At level of the concrete validity of the concept of the enemy assumes struggle possibility...»

Later, in 1963 K.Shmitt has specified that its concept of the enemy did not mean that this enemy should be destroyed and that he meant «defence, test of forces and an establishment of the general border».

Contrary to Gobbs, K.Shmitt value of a policy sees not that it can lead to a pacification and well-being, and is faster that oblivion of distinction the friend-enemy can lead to decline.

Essence of polic K.Shmitt saw in war, including in war between the people. The war right the state which represents itself as the political integrity concentrating the huge power, and the decision-making centre possesses. According to K.Shmittu, «both possibilities are embodied in the state: possibility to demand from the citizens of readiness to go to death and other possibility - to demand from them readiness to kill the human beings who are in hostile camp».

Later power interpretation of a policy was widely adopted in a political science. The American scientist Dzh. Дэнис in policy sphere includes all situations in which to achievement of the planned purposes various subjects (groups threaten, to a generality, individuals) and danger of threat is so great that it cannot be prevented privately and intervention of bodies of the public power is required.