Understanding Political Science Basics
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ScribdTranslationsUnderstanding Political Science Basics
Translated by
ScribdTranslationsPolitical Science
INTRODUCTION
Politics can be seen as:
The use of power
The production of a public option
Marxism and Pluralism
Politics is the use of power to make decisions
common for a group of people
Political Science
INTRODUCTION
Political scientists study and analyze politics.
What is politics?
There are two defining characteristics of politics:
1) The making of a common decision for a group of
individuals, a uniform decision that applies to the
same way to all the members of the group.
The use of power by an individual or a group to affect
the behavior of another person or group of people.
Political Science
INTRODUCTION
POLITICS AS DECISION MAKING
COMMON
Those actions that contribute to the adoption of a
common policy for a group of people constitutes the
politics.
The matters concerning those policies and their adoption are
political affairs.
Political Science
INTRODUCTION
Politics as the exercise of power
Power is the ability of an individual or group to
individuals to cause one or others to do what
they desire, by any means, whether by force or
convincing them to do it.
It can be rigid (police) or subtle (unions)
It can be exercised through coercion (one is forced), the
persuasion (one convinces) or the construction of incentives (
the alternative becomes unpleasant
Political Science
INTRODUCTION
IMPLICIT AND MANIFEST POWER
Manifest power is based on an observable action.
In implicit power, a person does something because they feel.
that it is desired to be done.
Since power is so important for politics and to
what is as difficult to measure accurately as and when it
There are recurring disputes about how much power to wield.
they have certain groups.
The most important power is the one that decides which matters
raise for debate.
Political Science
INTRODUCTION
POLITICS AND POWER
All politics is based on some form of power and the
sources of power can be very varied and complex.
POWER AND OPTION
Politics consists of making common decisions for
a group, through the use of power.
Political Science
INTRODUCTION
POWER AND OPTION
There are two basic ways to view policy making.
common:
Political action can be interpreted as a way
rationale for finding the best common solution for a
common problem, in this case the policy consists of
public option and the use of power is to persuade.
Political action can be interpreted as a form of
achieve the domination of some people over others, in
In this case, politics consists of the use of power through
of coercion.
Political Science
INTRODUCTION
POWER AND OPTION
Politics consists of making a common decision for
a group of people through the use of power
Any act of politics can be seen from anyone
from both perspectives, whether as a search
cooperative in responding to common problems or how
an act by which some members of a group
they impose their will on other members of the group.
Generally, both points of view are valid.
Political Science
INTRODUCTION
STATE POLICY
The word politics can generally be applied to the family, the
church, the office, the university, etc.
But its most common use refers to the class of politics that
it has to do with the state government.
The State is a particular class of social group.
Citizens expect the State to maintain stability of
the economy, guarantee employment, etc.
The importance of the State for the lives of citizens,
It causes its policy to be of great importance.
Political Science focuses its attention on the politics of the State.
Political Science
INTRODUCTION
Political Science
Political science is the academic field that takes as
your unique and general task is the analysis of politics, especially
the state's policy.
Interpretative political scientists have greater
probability of addressing historical and philosophical aspects
from politics and seek detailed non-numerical information
about a few cases.
Behaviorists lean more towards mechanical theories.
abstracts of politics and the statistical analyses of
numerical information.
Political Science
INTRODUCTION
Political Science
Whatever their preferred way of collecting
information about the political world, scientists
politicians tend to emphasize, in their thinking about
the policy, the generalization and the broad abstraction.
Political scientists seek generalization through
of the theory.
A theory is a statement that connects specific cases.
with broader principles.
Political Science
INTRODUCTION
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Empirical theories are those that describe how
things in the world that we observe work, they are
explicit, they relate to why things happen
As they happen, they consist of causal statements.
Normative theories imply making a judgment about the
world, not describe how it works but how it should be
or to do something.
Both theories are statements that deal with cases.
specifics linking them with general principles.
Political Science
INTRODUCTION
SUBFIELDS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
Political behavior: The study of individuals and
non-governmental organizations involved in politics and
of the reasons for what they do. Public opinion studies,
elections, interest groups and political parties.
Political institutions: The study of bodies
national government. The Congress, the executive, the
bureaucracy, the courts.
Public policy: The analysis of the product of the policy, the classes
of policies that are imposed.
International politics.
Political theory: The history of ideas about politics and
critical discussion of political values.