politica

Politica, in many languages, refers to the set of practices and norms by which a community selects and implements governing authority and makes collective choices. It covers the distribution and exercise of power, public policy, and the negotiation of conflict among interest groups. Politics is both the process by which decisions are made and the arena in which actors compete for influence; policy is the specific actions or principles adopted to guide government conduct.

Political systems organize politics through institutions such as legislatures, executives, judiciaries, and administrative agencies. Actors include citizens, political parties, interest groups, media, and advocacy networks. Elections, representation, lobbying, party competition, and policy formulation and implementation are key components of political life. Political science studies these dimensions through subfields such as comparative politics, political theory, public administration, and international relations, employing methods from statistics, case studies, and historical analysis.

Historically, politics has evolved from early city-states and empires to modern nation-states, with enduring questions about legitimacy, authority, rule of law, and rights. Contemporary political life grapples with governance challenges such as accountability, corruption, economic policy, security, social equity, and environmental policy, often within transnational contexts. The term politica also reflects linguistic distinctions: in Romance languages, it commonly denotes both the science or study of governance and the concrete policies that governments implement.