Principles of Political

Science
Lecture 3: Subdivisions of Political Science

By Eric Shahzar
Sub Divisions of Political Science
Is political science a vast field?

Yes, Political Science is a vast discipline which is

constantly expanding and transforming as history
suggests.

Political science is not a monotonous field

Subfields explained by Alfred de Grazia
Political Policy
What is a policy?

 A policy is a “course of action adopted and pursued by

the government, party, ruler, statesman”

 Policies differ from state to state.

 Policies are not fixed and keep on reforming

Political policy continued..
Like how we discussed comparative politics, political
policies are also different- for eg: democratic in style or
autocratic in style.

The policies are intended to fulfill the needs of the

people

Important point: Policy also become a new source of

information for the society.
National Politics
Very important field of political science

National politics is the study of politics of a nation.

It deals with various organs of the government –

legislature, executive and judiciary.

Nature of national politics differ in countries.

Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is a group of specifically non-elected
officials within a government or other institution that
implements the rules, laws, ideas, and functions of
their institution through a system of administration.

- In other words, a government administration should

carry out the decisions of the legislature or
democratically elected representation of a state.
Bureaucracy continued..
Weberian bureaucracy has its origin in the works by
Max Weber (1864-1920), a notable German sociologist,
political economist, and administrative scholar who
contributed to the study of bureaucracy and
administrative discourses and literatures during the
late 1800s and early 1900s.
Political Dynamics
A new sub-field of political science

Over the last four decades, the world has witnessed the
transition of political regimes from different forms of
autocracy to various new types of political regimes.

It gives importance to factors such as public opinion,

pressure groups or even voting behaviour of the people

A new source of energy in politics.

What is International Relations?
An exciting field of study that presents a globally
oriented perspective on issues that transcend
national boundaries.

International relations attempts to explain the

interactions of states in the global interstate system,
and it also attempts to explain the interactions of
others whose behavior originates within one country
and is targeted toward members of other countries.
Who conducts International
Relations?
• Almost 200 states
• Intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), such as
the UN, NATO, the European Union and the
Arab League
• Multinational corporations (MNCs) – also known
as transnational companies
• Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
• Although not regarded as legitimate actors in the
system, terrorist groups can also play a role
 States

• States are important

because they have a
monopoly on military power
• They also make all the
relevant decisions about
how relations with other
states are conducted
 Intergovernmental
organisations (IGOs)
• Intergovernmental
organisations (IGOs) are
formal associations of states
created by treaty or charter
• IGOs exist for various
purposes, including
cooperation and security,
regulation, and economic,
educational and cultural aims
• The most important IGO is the
United Nations
 Multinational corporations
(MNCs)
• Multinational corporations
are companies that have
operations in more than
one country
• MNCs are important
because of their size and
their ability to influence
government policies, even
in more powerful states
MNCs and IR
Climate Change in the USA

The US Senate cannot pass a pro-climate change bill in

the Senate because most of the important multi-
national corporations such as Exxon Mobil is owned
by the elected representatives only
 Non-governmental
organisations (NGOs)
• NGOs are legal entities
that are independent of
governments and are not
businesses
• Most NGOs are operational
(they deliver services such
as welfare or relief) or
campaigning
• NGOs can influence
government policies,
particularly in areas such
as the environment and
human rights
 Terrorist groups
• Terrorist groups are
not regarded as
legitimate actors in
IR, as they operate
outside the law
• However, groups
such as Al Qaeda
have proved able to
influence government
policies
 Microstates
• Nauru, the least
populous member of
the UN, has around
13,000 people
• It has no armed
forces and is
dependent on
economic assistance
from other states
Non-state actors
In international relations, non-state actors (NSAs) are
individuals or groups that hold influence and which
are wholly or partly independent of state governments.

The interests, structure, and influence of NSAs vary

widely
Non state actors continued
- For example, among NSAs are corporations, media
organizations, business magnates, people's liberation
movements, lobby groups, religious groups, aid
agencies, and violent non-state actors such as
paramilitary forces
Failed states and sovereignty
• Failed states have not lost legal
sovereignty, but do not have the actual
ability to exercise it
• Somalia, where the country has
fragmented, is the most dramatic
example of a failed state
• Many other states exert limited actual
authority over parts of their territory
The Failed States Index 2018
 Polarity
• A key concept in International Relations,
polarity is the various ways in which
power is distributed throughout the
world or regions
• There are several variants of polarity:
• Unipolarity
• Bipolarity
• Multipolarity
• Nonpolarity
 Unipolarity
• A system in which one state possesses
the most political influence
• Best example: the United States after
the end of the Cold War – the end of the
Soviet Union left the USA as the
world’s only superpower
 Bipolarity
• A system in which two states possess
the most political influence
• Best example: the USA and the USSR
during the Cold War
 Multipolarity
• A system in which several states possess a
considerable degree of political influence
• Best recent example: the world before World
War I
Group Discussion

Which subdivision of Pol Sci do you think is the most

dominant one?
You have 10 mins