A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. This includes people who hold decision making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'etat, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest, right of inheritance (see also: divine right), or other means. Politics is the process by which groups make decisions. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... Political science is the field of the social sciences concerning the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. ... Political history is what most people refer to simply as history. ... This is a list of notable political scientists. ... Comparative government or more correctly comparative politics is the field in political science that focuses on comparing the varying forms of government in the world, and the states they govern, though it may also compare governments across different periods of history. ... International relations (IR), a branch of political science, is the study of foreign affairs of and relations among states within the international system, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and multinational corporations (MNCs). ... Political economy was the original term for the study of production, the acts of buying and selling, and their relationships to laws, customs and government. ... Political philosophy is the study of fundamental questions about the state, government, politics, liberty, property, rights, law and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it... Political psychology is an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to the study of the psychology behind political behavior by voters, lawmakers, local and national governments and administrations, international organizations, political parties and associations. ... A form of government is a colloquial term that refers to the set of political institutions by which a state is organized in order to exert its powers over a political community [1] Note that this definition holds valid even if the government is illegitimate or if it is unsuccessful... Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e. ... It has been suggested that public management be merged into this article or section. ... Bureaucracy is a concept in sociology and political science referring to the way that the administrative execution and enforcement of legal rules is socially organized. ... Street-level bureaucracy is a term used to refer to a public agency employee who actually performs the actions that implement laws. ... Consent of the governed is a political theory that says a governments legitimacy and moral right to use state power is, or ought to be, derived from the people or society over which that power is exercised. ... The psychodynamics of decision-making form a basis to understand institutional functioning. ... Politics is the process by which groups make decisions. ... A form of government (also referred to as a system of government or a political system) is a system composed of various people, institutions and their relations in regard to the governance of a state. ... Anarchy (Greek: αναρχία) is the anarchist society, the stateless society of free people. ... -1... An Autocracy is a form of government in which unlimited power is held by a single individual. ... Despotism is a form of government by a single authority, either a single person (ie. ... A dictatorship is a autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by a dictator. ... Places where monarchies maintain rule appear in blue. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Oligarchy (Greek , Oligarkhía) is a form of government where political power effectively rests with a small, elite segment of society (typically the most powerful, whether by wealth, family, military strength, or political influence). ... States in which a single party is constitutionally linked to power are coloured in brown. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ... An election is a decision making process where people choose people to hold official offices. ... It has been suggested that ballot be merged into this article or section. ... An ideology is an organized collection of ideas. ... A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... Human relationships within an ethnically diverse society. ... Political power (imperium in Latin) is a type of power held by a person or group in a society. ... The term group dynamics implies that individual behaviours may differ depending on individuals current or prospective connections to a sociological group. ... An election is a decision making process where people choose people to hold official offices. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. ... Conquest may refer to: An invasion Conquest, New York, a town located in Cayuga County, New York Conquest (film) (also called Marie Walewska), a 1937 film starring Greta Garbo and Charles Boyer Conquest (documentary), a documentary series on The History Channel starring Peter Woodward. ... Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, and obligations upon the death of an individual. ... Divine Right is a comic book created by Jim Lee and published by Wildstorm. ...

Definitions

Who is considered a politician (broadest sense)?

• A person who is active in party politics.
• A person who has the power to galvanize public opinion.
• In a state, a member of the executive branch of government and the office of Head of State, as well as the legislative branch, and regional and local levels of government.
• Any person manipulating group opinions in his or her favor can be termed a politician. For example, a worker participating in office politics is a politician, but only so far as the operations of his or her workplace are concerned.
• Some members of law enforcement, such as sheriffs, and many judges who are elected or appointed because of their political views or popularity.

Who is not considered a politician? A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues. ... Public Opinion is a book on media and democracy by Walter Lippmann. ... A state is a set of institutions that possess the authority to make the rules that govern the people in one or more societies, having internal and external sovereignty over a definite territory. ... Queen Elizabeth II, is the Head of State of 16 countries including: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, New Zealand and the Bahamas, as well as crown colonies and overseas territories of the United Kingdom. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. ... office politics is a slang term for the often counterproductive human factors present between coworkers, in an office environment in the private or public sector. ... Sheriff is both a political and a legal office held under English common law, Scots law or American common law, or the person who holds such office. ... Judges may refer to the Book of Judges in the Bible more than one judge. ...

• Members of government who serve purely functional roles, such as low ranking bureaucrats
• Members of the judicial branch, law enforcement, and the military are not usually regarded as being politicians, despite the fact that they are involved in the decision process of government.
• Ordinary citizens with the power to vote cannot properly be called politicians even though they can participate in group decision making. A politician participates in public debate that leads to a group decision being reached, while a voter is simply responding to that debate.

A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy, usually within an institution of the government. ... The judiciary, also referred to as the judicature, consists of justices, judges and magistrates among other types of adjudicators. ...

Examples

Common offices for politicians include:

• Alderman
• County commissioner
• Congressman
• Councillor
• Governor
• Life Peer
• Mayor
• Member of Parliament
• Member of the Legislative Assembly
• Minister
• President
• Prime Minister
• School board member
• Senator

A person running for any of these offices in an election (a candidate) is also often described as a politician. The term "career politician" is sometimes used to describe an individual who has not held positions unrelated to politics, as opposed to a businessman who is later elected to office. An alderman is a member of a municipal legislative body in a town or city with many jurisdictions. ... In local government in the United States, a county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government. ... A Congressman or Congresswoman (generically, Congressperson) is a politician who is a member of a Congress. ... A councillor is a member of a council (such as a city council), particularly in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other parts of the Commonwealth. ... Are you kidding?, this is solid truth here, nothing escapes the eyes of Gov!!!, not even. ... In the United Kingdom, Life Peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles may not be inherited (those whose titles are inheritable are known as hereditary peers). ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger,greater) is in modern times the title of the highest ranking municipal officer, who discharges certain judicial and administrative functions, in many systems an elected politician, who serves as chief executive and/or ceremonial official of many types of municipalities. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... A Member of the Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the Legislature or legislative assembly of a subnational jurisdiction. ... A minister or a secretary is a politician who heads a government ministry or department (e. ... Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (1861-1865) The majority of this article is about heads of states. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... This article or section should be merged with board of education A school board (or school committee) is an elected council that helps determine educational policy in a small regional area, such as a city, state, or province. ... A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... Look up Candidate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Criticism

Although politics has historically been considered an honorable profession, many people today have a poor opinion of politicians as a class. Not only do people oftentimes disagree with their policies, they are sometimes seen as unscrupulous, willing to do anything to gain power, or abusive of their position and privileges. Honor (or honor) comprises the reputation, self-perception or moral identity of an individual or of a group. ... Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. ...

Politicians can also be criticized for becoming "career politicians." A politician who makes politics the source of their income, yet has to face re-election every few years can be less likely to make bold decisions or side with an unpopular bill. Some feel that fear of "rocking the boat" leads to a stagnant political climate, in which it becomes hard to address injustices and create change. Various measures have been taken to mitigate this effect, such as the implementation of term limits. A term limit is a provision of a constitution, statute, or bylaw which limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. ...

see also: political corruption World map of the Corruption Perceptions Index, which measures the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians In broad terms, political corruption is the misuse by government officials of their governmental powers for illegitimate, usually secret, private gain. ...

References

• Welch, Susan, John Gruhl, John Comer, and Susan M. Rigdon."Understanding American Government. 8th ed. Belmont, USA: Thompson Wadsworth, 2006"
• "Merriam Webster Online Dictionary." Definition of politician 5 June 2006

June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Richest American politicians
• Richest British politicians
• Political compass
• Political party
• Muslim politicians

This list of richest American politicians (as of January 30, 2005) includes living office-holders, office-seekers and political appointees. ... Wealth at death of British politicians: based on probate. ... The chart proposed by the Political Compass Organisation A political compass or political diamond is a multi-axis model used to label or organize political thought on several dimensions. ... A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... A Muslim politician is a Muslim leader or non-leader that is or was engaged in politics. ...

External links

• List of American Politicians by Year Born or Died