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Meaning and Scope of Political Science

1.1 Meaning of Political Science

Political Science is that part of social science deals with the study of government and
political processes, institutions, and behaviors. Political science falls into the academic and research
division known as the social sciences. Social sciences study the human aspects of the world—
human-made constructs and structures. Disciplines in the social sciences include: psychology, the
study of the human mind and human behavior; sociology, the study of society and the relationships
within it; communications, the study of the flow of discourse through media; economics, the study of
the allocation of resources; and history, the chronology, analysis, and interpretation of past events.

1.1.1 Traditional Definition

Political science is defined as “the study of the state and government in all their
manifestations, aspects and relationships”. In this sense, politics can be domestic,
national, federal, municipal or international.
These early definitions of political science dealt generally with state and government.
a. J.W. Garner: “Political Science begins and ends with the state”;”Politics is the
study of State & Government”.
b. R.G. Gettel: “Political Science is the historical investigation of what the state
has been, an analytical study of what the state is and a political, ethical
discussion of what the state ought to be”.
c. Leacock: “Political science deals with government only”.
d. Paul Janet: “Political science is that part of the social science which treats the
foundations of the state and the principles of government”.

1.1.2 Emerging Definitions

In the beginning of the 20th century there developed a new way of looking at political
science. This new approach is known as behavioural approach. The main thrust of
the new view is the treatment of politics as an activity and a process.

In this context, new definitions emerged.

a. Harold Laswell: “Politics is the study of influence and the influential” or “the
study of the shaping and sharing of power”
b. David Easton: “Politics is the authoritative allocation of values.”
c. Catlin: “Political Science is the study of the act of human and social control”.
d. Andrew Heywood: “Politics can be defined as an activity through which people
make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they live.”

Modern political scientists consider politics as a process centering around power and
influence. They are concerned with not just the state and the government, but also

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 the study and evaluation of political activities, political power, processes and non-
governmental institutions.

1.2 Scope of Political Science

The study of politics is both humanistic and scientific, and is centuries old. Aristotle called it the
"queen of the sciences". Today’s political research involves highly scientific and rigorous attempts to
understand human behavior and world events. Political scientists provide the frameworks from
which journalists, special interest groups, politicians, and the electorate analyze issues.

Political science as a discipline deals with various aspects like:

a. Study of state and government- it deals with the nature and formation of the State and tries
to understand various forms and functions of the government.
b. Study of associations and institutions- in organized way the fundamental problems of
political science include, first, an investigation of the origin and the nature of the state,
second an inquiry into the nature, history and forms of political institutions and third,
deduction, therefore, so far as possible, of laws of political growth and development.
c. Study of national and international problems- modern demands of defense of territory,
representative government and national unity have made political science not only the
science of political independence but that of state sovereignty also.
d. Study of political behavior of man- it may be said that the character of political science in all
its parts is determined by its basic pre-supposition regarding man.
e. Study of the past, present and future of development - political science attempts to explain
the meaning and the essential nature of the state and deals with the laws of its progress and
development within itself and in relation to international organizations and other states.
f. Study of the concepts of power, authority & influence- with the behavioural revolution the
central topic for study has become the study of power. Consequently the scope has widened
to include new aspects like political socialization, political culture, political development and
informal structures like interest and pressure groups.

1.3 Functions and Importance of Political Science

Political science is important because politics is important. Politics is the study of power—who gets
what, and how. This power can be as modest as a city council making budgetary choices over
municipal services and personnel, or it can be as significant as two world superpowers on the brink
of all-out nuclear war.

Regardless, the extent to which politics has served as the basis for the most important (and
devastating) events in U.S. and world history cannot be understated. For example, certain political
ideologies—Communism, Fascism, and Nazism—helped to shape policies and practices that
ultimately led to the murder of tens of millions of people throughout the 20th century, by regimes
with fanatical beliefs about the proper role of government and its leaders. All people's lives are
affected by the priorities and choices of political institutions, and by the power structures that exist in
society.

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According to one prominent political scientist "the study of political science is motivated by the need
to understand the sources and consequences of political stability and revolution, of repression and
liberty, of equality and inequality, of war and peace, of democracy and dictatorship." The study of
political science reveals that the world of politics, along with its institutions, leaders, and citizens, is a
complex and far-reaching one.

1.4 Interrelationship with other branches

What distinguishes political science as an academic discipline is its emphasis on government and
power. However, the study of government and power is not confined to political science—it naturally
permeates into other social sciences as well. For example:

Economics: Economic and political processes are closely related because the actions of
political institutions frame—and can either expand or constrain— economic activity.
Additionally, economic conditions can have a direct influence on political institutions.
Throughout history, the outcomes of many presidential and congressional elections have
rested on the economy. Voters tend to vote against the party in power if they perceive a
decline or standstill in their personal financial situations.

Sociology: Political scientists also study the social bases of politics. For example, what are
the political activities of various social classes, races, ethnicities, and religions? How do
political values, attitudes, and beliefs come about? How do social forces work together to
change political policies on issues such as abortion, criminal justice, foreign policy, and
welfare? How do social movements outside of the formal institutions of political power affect
politics? For example, the civil rights and women's suffrage movements helped to not only
reshape public policy but public opinion as well.

History: Political scientists attempt to analyze and understand historic political patterns in
addition to specific political events. This requires putting historical events and texts into a
political context. For example, how have political party systems helped to create long-
standing changes in the electoral landscape and reshape traditional party coalitions
throughout the 19th and 20th centuries? A good textual example is the U.S. Constitution. It is
both a historical (and historic) document, in that it describes the creation of a new form of
government by the Founding Fathers, and a political one, in that it sets the framework for the
functioning of the U.S. government as a system of shared powers, checks and balances, and
federalism.

Group Activity: Aside from the mentioned interrelationships, what other interrelationship you
can think of? Write at least two.
Sources:
https://learn.saylor.org/mod/page/view.php?id=10917
http://www.sparknotes.com/us-government-and-politics/political-science/introduction-to-political-
science/section3.rhtml