Influence Power And Authority

Influence Power And Authority

Influence, authority, and power are central to understanding how political systems function, yet they are often used interchangeably despite crucial differences. In politics, influence typically works without coercion, shaping behavior through persuasion and reputation, while power can compel compliance through force or legal authority. Authority carries legitimacy—people acknowledge the right of leaders to make decisions. … Read more

Study of Politics

Study of Politics

The study of politics in modern political science goes far beyond party rivalry and electoral competition. It explores how disagreements arise within ordered communities, how influence is distributed, and how conflicts are ultimately transformed into authoritative public policies. Politics exists wherever people organize themselves—within states, institutions, associations, and even informal groups—and is shaped by values, … Read more

Modern Politics

Modern politics

Political Science has transformed dramatically from its classical roots to an academic discipline deeply shaped by scientific methodologies, data-driven inquiry, and debates over values versus empirical analysis. In the United States, this evolution reflects broader intellectual revolutions and ongoing tensions between traditional thought, scientific rigor, and contemporary societal demands. This article explores the main trends … Read more

Relationship of political science with other disciplines

Relationship of political science with other disciplines

Political Science does not exist in isolation. As emphasized by thinkers like Henry Sidgwick, a clear understanding of any discipline requires mapping its intellectual relationships with others. Political Science draws concepts, methods, and insights from sociology, economics, history, psychology, anthropology, law, ethics, statistics, geography, biology, and public administration—while simultaneously enriching them.In the United States, modern … Read more

Methodology of political science

Methodology of political science

The methodology of political science examines how political phenomena are systematically studied using scientific and philosophical tools. Emerging strongly in the nineteenth century, political science evolved from speculative reasoning to an organized body of knowledge grounded in observation, comparison, historical analysis, and quantitative methods. Thinkers such as Auguste Comte, John Stuart Mill, James Bryce, Karl … Read more

Terminology of political science

Terminology of political science

The terminology of political science has long been a subject of scholarly debate due to the absence of a universally accepted name for the discipline. Various scholars have referred to it as Politics, Political Theory, Political Philosophy, or Political Science, each emphasizing a distinct dimension of political inquiry. This diversity of terminology often creates confusion … Read more

Nature and Scope of Political Science

Nature and Scope of Political Science

Political Science emerges from the fundamental reality that human beings live in organized societies. From Aristotle’s assertion that man is a social and political animal to modern behavioral and empirical approaches, the discipline examines how people govern themselves within the State. The nature of political science explores the origins, purpose, and ethical foundations of political … Read more

State and Government

State and Government

In political science, the terms State and Government are often used interchangeably in everyday conversations, but they refer to distinct concepts. While the State represents a permanent political entity with sovereignty, defined territory, and citizens, the Government is the temporary machinery that administers the State’s policies and enforces laws. Understanding this distinction is crucial, especially … Read more

Definition of sovereignty in political science

definition of sovereignty in political science

In political science, sovereignty is the cornerstone of the modern State. It signifies the supreme, absolute, and legally uncontested authority within a defined territory. What distinguishes the State from all other associations is its compulsory power—the legal right to command obedience and, if necessary, enforce compliance through coercion. From classical thinkers like Bodin and Hobbes … Read more

Sovereignty in political science

sovereignty in political science

The modern State is a sovereign State. Sovereignty in political science is, therefore, independent in the face of other communities. It may infuse its will towards them with a substance that is not to be affected by any external power’s will. It is, moreover, internally supreme over the territory that it controls. Issues orders to … Read more