Introduction to Political Science: Meaning, Nature,

Scope and Approaches to the Study of Political

Science (Traditional, Modern, Normative and
Empirical)
Political Science is one of the oldest and most important branches of the social
sciences. It is the systematic study of politics, the state, government, political
institutions and political processes. According to Andrew Heywood, politics is "the
activity through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules
under which they live." Politics exists because people have different opinions,
interests and needs, creating conflict, but they must also cooperate to make
collective decisions and maintain social order. Thus, politics is inseparably
connected with both conflict and cooperation, making it an inevitable feature of
human society. Heywood further points out that politics is an essentially contested
concept, meaning that there is no single universally accepted definition of politics.
Different scholars understand politics in different ways, leading to different
approaches to Political Science.
The word politics is derived from the Greek word polis, meaning city-state. In
ancient Greece, politics referred to the affairs of the city-state and the participation of
citizens in public life. However, the scope of Political Science has expanded
considerably over time. Today, it includes not only the study of government but also
political behaviour, public policy, power, political institutions and international politics.
Andrew Heywood identifies four major ways of understanding politics, each
explaining a different aspect of Political Science.
The first definition is Politics as the Art of Government. This is the traditional
view, which limits politics to the activities of the state and government. Politics is
concerned with making and enforcing collective decisions through institutions such
as the legislature, executive and judiciary. David Easton described politics as the
"authoritative allocation of values," referring to the process by which governments
make binding decisions for society. Under this approach, Political Science mainly
studies constitutions, governments, public administration and political institutions.
The scope is relatively narrow because it excludes families, businesses and other
non-governmental institutions.
The second definition is Politics as Public Affairs. This perspective is associated
with Aristotle, who regarded politics as the "master science" because it seeks to
create a just society and promote the common good. Politics extends beyond
government to include all matters affecting public life. This approach distinguishes
between the public sphere, which includes the state and public institutions, and the
private sphere, which includes family life and personal affairs. Political Science
therefore studies activities and institutions that contribute to public welfare. Heywood
also notes that feminist thinkers criticize this distinction, arguing that many issues
traditionally considered private are also political because they involve relationships of
power and inequality.
The third definition is Politics as Compromise and Consensus. This approach
views politics as a process rather than simply an institution or location. Politics
provides peaceful methods for resolving conflicts through discussion, negotiation,
bargaining and compromise. Since society consists of groups with different interests,
politics becomes the means through which disagreements are settled without
violence. Politics is therefore viewed as the search for consensus and peaceful
conflict resolution.
The fourth definition is Politics as Power, which is the broadest understanding of
politics. Politics is seen as the exercise and distribution of power in every sphere of
social life. Harold Lasswell summarized this idea in his famous question, "Who gets
what, when and how?" Politics therefore exists not only in governments but also in
families, workplaces, schools, businesses and international organizations. This
approach is widely used by feminists to study patriarchy and gender relations, and
by Marxists to examine class conflict and economic exploitation.
The nature of Political Science reflects its broad and evolving character. It is a
social science because it studies human political behaviour and institutions. It is
both theoretical and practical, dealing with concepts such as justice, liberty,
equality and democracy while also examining governments, constitutions, elections
and public policy. Political Science is dynamic, constantly changing in response to
political, social and economic developments. It is also interdisciplinary, drawing
knowledge from history, sociology, economics, law and international relations. Above
all, Political Science is concerned with the study of power, authority, governance and
collective decision-making.
The scope of Political Science has widened considerably in modern times. It
includes the study of the State, its origin, nature and functions; Government,
including the legislature, executive and judiciary; Political Theory, dealing with
concepts such as justice, liberty, equality and democracy; Political Institutions,
including constitutions, political parties and elections; Public Administration;
Political Behaviour, including voting and public opinion; Comparative Politics; and
International Relations. Heywood also emphasizes that globalization has
increasingly connected domestic and international politics, thereby expanding the
scope of Political Science beyond the boundaries of the nation-state.

The study of Political Science has developed through two broad traditions: the
Traditional Approach and the Modern Approach, which broadly correspond to the
Normative and Empirical approaches.

The Traditional Approach dominated Political Science from ancient Greece until the
early twentieth century. It treated Political Science mainly as a branch of philosophy,
history and law. Thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke
and Rousseau concentrated on political ideas, constitutions and the ideal state. This
approach is closely associated with the Normative Approach, which is concerned
with what ought to be rather than what is. It asks ethical questions such as: What
is justice? What is liberty? What should be the ideal form of government? Since it is
value-oriented and prescriptive, it provides standards for evaluating political
institutions and promoting good governance. However, it has been criticized for
being subjective and lacking scientific objectivity because many of its conclusions
cannot be empirically verified.
The Modern Approach emerged during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries
with the objective of making Political Science more scientific. Rather than
concentrating on ideals, it studies actual political behaviour through observation,
evidence and systematic research. This approach is associated with the Empirical
Approach, which is descriptive rather than prescriptive. It seeks to explain political
reality through facts instead of moral judgments and is influenced by positivism,
which argues that political analysis should rely on observation and experience.
An important development within the modern approach was Behaviouralism, which
became highly influential during the 1950s and 1960s. Behaviouralists focused on
observable political behaviour such as voting patterns, public opinion, political
participation and legislative behaviour. They used surveys, statistical techniques and
measurable data to make Political Science more objective. Modern Political Science
also includes Rational-Choice Theory, which explains political decisions as rational
attempts by individuals to maximize their interests, and New Institutionalism, which
studies how political institutions shape political behaviour. Although these
approaches made Political Science more scientific, critics argued that an excessive
emphasis on facts and quantifiable data often ignored important values such as
justice, liberty and equality.

In conclusion, Political Science is a dynamic and comprehensive discipline that

studies politics, the state, government, political institutions, political behaviour and
the exercise of power. According to Andrew Heywood, politics may be understood as
the art of government, public affairs, compromise and consensus, or the
exercise of power, with each definition highlighting a different dimension of political
life. Similarly, the discipline combines the Traditional or Normative Approach,
which emphasizes ethical values and political ideals, with the Modern or Empirical
Approach, which emphasizes observation, scientific analysis and political behaviour.
Together, these approaches provide a balanced understanding of politics and explain
both how political systems function and how they should contribute to the common
good.