Political Competence

Political competence is a term that refers to the ability of people to understand the political process of their community to an extent that they are able to effectively participate in voting and other political activities. A politically competent person educates themselves on the issues and topics that are important to a political issue so as to be able to develop a personal viewpoint on the issue. The politically competent person can then discuss the aspects of this issue; they may also take action based on this viewpoint, such as campaigning on behalf of a candidate or lobbying for a specific action related to the issue.

Political competence can also refer to the skills that allow politicians to be successful in getting and keeping a political office. This is a skill set that also helps people be successful in many fields, especially those that involve aspects of leadership. It is the ability to see and understand the circumstances, to know when to act or not act, to act based on the reality of a situation, and to understand the people involved in the situation and how to best involve them.

Background

The word political refers to the workings of a government, or relating to the strategies and ideas of those involved in politics. The word politics comes from a Greek word, polis, which means "cities" or "community." The use of political arose from the things that are needed to run a city or community and first came into use in the sixth century.

In most instances, the word political is seen as relating to those who are actively engaged in seeking or holding a public office, such as a mayor, senator, or president. Sometimes the word political is viewed in a negative way. It is sometimes thought to apply to backroom deals, shady practices, and promises that are made but not kept. These reflect some of the negative aspects of politics and are not necessarily inherent to the role of a politician.

The word competence in this usage means "to be sufficiently skilled" at something. The word comes from the Latin competentem, which means "to coincide or agree." This led to the Old French word competent, which meant "suitable," "sufficient," or "appropriate." In the seventeenth century, the word came to mean "fit or able."

Overview

Every community is governed by some form of leadership. This governing leadership makes laws and sets the penalties for violating those laws, manages the economy, and makes decisions on such things as infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc.) and other services for the public good. A government is also responsible for protecting the people from danger and providing emergency assistance, so governments oversee the military and possibly first responders, depending on the level of government.

In areas where this governing leadership is elected, the quality of the government depends on the participation of the citizens in the voting process and the ability of those citizens to make good choices when casting their votes. Issues that face a community or a country may be addressed in several ways, and candidates who want to serve in a public office generally have very specific views as to the approaches they see as best. Understanding these issues and knowing what the candidates for an elected office think is the best way to handle them is the citizen's way of being politically competent.

Learning to understand the issues and sorting through the various opinions of the candidates can seem overwhelming. People must learn many things, such as the type of government and kinds of elected officials that represent the area where the citizen lives, what issues are affecting that area, and what the candidates have to say about the issues. The citizen then has to decide which candidate best represents what the citizen thinks is best; this can be a very difficult task, since it is rare for any one candidate to hold all the same views on the issues as the citizen does. However, citizens have many resources to help them learn to be politically competent so they can vote intelligently.

Gaining political knowledge usually requires people to pay attention to the news and seek out objective sources for quality journalism. People may become informed by watching televised news, reading the newspaper or news magazines, listening to radio talk shows, or following news sources on the internet. Many news sources have social media sites; following a Facebook or Twitter feed for a news organization can help provide up-to-date information on the issues and the candidates' views.

Political competence also involves developing objective views. This can be complicated by the fact that some sources that provide news present information in a way that is slanted toward one viewpoint. The source may favor one political party or have definite opinions on how certain issues should be handled. This can result in a biased viewpoint that does not include all the facts. A politically competent person will read and view a number of sources to get a broad view of the issues. For national issues, this can sometimes be accomplished by seeking out news sources from other countries—for example, Canadian media outlets often cover US news.

Other usages

The term political competency can also refer to the skills a politician uses to gain and keep a political office. People sometimes think of political skills as the promises a person running for office makes, the deals made to gain votes, and other practices sometimes seen as underhanded or deceitful. However, truly politically competent leaders exhibit a number of other skills. They are able to create a plan and engage others in it. These leaders understand the potential obstacles to success, know which people might oppose them and who will be allies, and recognize who is best suited for various tasks that must be accomplished.

While the term is most often associated with those running for office, political competence can refer to leaders at all levels, from classroom leaders to business leaders. These leaders can also develop plans, anticipate obstacles, and gain cooperation from others. However, a politically competent leader does not accomplish this through manipulation or force. This leader is socially adept and knows how to interact with others in a way that makes them feel genuinely heard and valued. They also often work to help others be successful—not to manipulate others so that these people will be in their debt, but because they do have an interest in the well-being of others.

Bibliography

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Bacharach, Samuel. "To Lead, You Need Political Competence." Inc. 5 Apr. 2017, www.inc.com/samuel-bacharach/to-lead-you-need-political-competence.html. Accessed 4 May 2017.

"Citizen Participation." National Democratic Institute, www.ndi.org/what-we-do/citizen-participation. Accessed 4 May 2017.

Faris, Daniel. "Want to Know How to Become an Informed Citizen? Here's How." Western Journalism, 6 Aug. 2014, www.westernjournalism.com/want-know-become-informed-citizen-heres/. Accessed 4 May 2017.

Johnson, Lauren Keller. "Sharpen Your Political Competence." Harvard Business Review, 27 Feb. 2008, hbr.org/2008/02/sharpen-your-political-compete-1.html. Accessed 4 May 2017.

Leslie, Jean. "Why You Have to Be a Politician at Your Job." Forbes, 26 May 2010, www.forbes.com/2010/05/25/office-politics-psychology-leadership-managing-ccl.html. Accessed 4 May 2017.

Reichert, Frank. "How Internal Political Efficacy Translates Political Knowledge into Political Participation." Europe's Journal of Psychology, May 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4894288/. Accessed 4 May 2017.

Reichert, Frank. "Political Competence and Political Participation: On the Role of 'Objective' Political Knowledge, Political Reasoning, and Subjective Political Competence in Early Adulthood." Journal of Social Science Education, 2010, www.jsse.org/index.php/jsse/article/view/1145/1048. Accessed 4 May 2017.