Preview

political science state centered and power centered

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2828 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
political science state centered and power centered
Man in nature is a social being. He cannot exist alone and can certainly not be self-sufficient. He is born and dwells in society where he associates with fellow humans. Man’s interaction with others in society eventually manifests his selfishness and quarrelsome nature. The human being is complex. Therefore as men live and interact in society, there arises the need for rules and accepted form of behavior. The regulation and execution of these rules are what bring about order in society. The regulators and enforcers of these rules and laws are what constitute what is called government. According to Heywood (2007) the government is created by individuals and for individuals (population), it exists to serve their needs and interests. This government hence is involved in a relationship with the rest of society. People have needs within the environment where there are resources and as such they make demands to the system (government) where processes take place and decisions and policies are passed back into the environment responding to the demands previously made. The discipline that deals with man in relation to his government is what is referred to as political science. However, there is no single or generally accepted view of political science as many thinkers have given many and different explanations of politics. The aim of this essay is to discuss political science as political science state-centered and political science power-centered and to highlight the differences and similarities between the two.
Political scientists study matters concerning the allocation and transfer of power in decision making, the roles and systems of governance including governments and international organizations, political behavior and public policies. They measure the success of governance and specific policies by examining many factors, including stability, justice, material wealth, and peace. (Http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Political_science&oldid=572424779).
As the



Bibliography: Beck, Et.al (1986) Political Science: The Science of Politics, New York, Agathon Press. Heywood, A. (2007) Political Ideologies; an Introduction, 3rd edn. London, Palgrave McMillan. Http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=State_%28polity%29&oldid=572454466. (Accessed 15th September, 2013). Http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Political_science&oldid=572424779 (Accessed 12th September, 2013). Http//en, Wikipedia.org/wiki/political_science.power_versus_authority. (Accessed 12th September, 2013). Norman, F. (Tue: 12 August 08). State-Government Role. Http//en, Wikipedia.org/wiki/role_of_the_government. (Accessed 15th September, 2013). UNDP (n.d), Building a Capable State in Africa, (Chapter 5, Ulimwengu, J. The role of non-state actors).

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    It Timeline of 1920-2000

    • 1923 Words
    • 8 Pages

    -Political science is the study of governments, public policies and political processes, systems, and political behavior. Political science subfields include political theory, political philosophy, political ideology, political economy, policy studies and analysis, comparative politics, international relations, and a host of related fields. (For a good cross section of the areas of study,…

    • 1923 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Text’s concern: power as it is used to affect who will hold government office and how government will behave…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    As a political scientist, the study of political systems can become very broad in nature due to the type of research and analysis required to be performed in areas such as the birth, development, institution and operation of different countries. To be more specific, their interests lie in the discovery of trends that result in political and social cleavages within any society. Their research can span from relations between the United States and other foreign countries to the politics of a small town. Political scientists analyze public opinions, political decision making and the ideology behind the decisions of lawmakers.…

    • 292 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the end of the civil war in 1865, the government of the United States had to solve some delicate problems. How should the former confederate states be treated after their defeat? What should happen with the freedmen, the former slaves that were supposed to live as citizens now? Should the southern states be punished, should they reenter the Union and which conditions would they have to fulfill therefore?…

    • 1021 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Sub-Saharan Africa Essay

    • 2758 Words
    • 12 Pages

    [ 7 ]. Ndulo, Muna. "The Democratization Process and Structural Adjustment in Africa." Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies 10.1 (2003): 315-367. Web. 16 Mar 2010.…

    • 2758 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Best Essays

    Although African countries are facing many severe problems including weak national identities and limited governmental capabilities, war might not be the only way to strengthen the state and develop national identities. When we consider the intense globalization undertaken by the world, collaboration by African unification provides another choice to reinforce the state and to progress a national identity.…

    • 1483 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Creating political order is largely the role of the state. The state orders our lives in many ways and we encounter and experience the state on a daily basis in many areas of our lives. For example, we may need to pay a visit to the Doctor, pay our taxes, avoid speed cameras, go to school or we may encounter the police, the postman, an ambulance etc. As the examples show, the state orders our lives through a range of practises, institutions such as schools, nurseries, agents such as the police and postman and also through procedures.…

    • 1629 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    -What is politics? – no real definition “Art of the possible” “who get what when & how” “authoritative allocation of values”…

    • 1700 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Counseling and Diversity

    • 3615 Words
    • 15 Pages

    People of different cultures, including immigrants of today seem to differ from past generations in that they seek to retain many of their cultural values and are less interested in becoming homogenized within the U.S. culture. This distinctness can create a potentially complex situation for both the client and therapist who may differ substantially in their own cultural values. For successful therapy to take place, it is important for therapists to be culturally sensitive of clients and avoid stereotyping. Stereotyping is detrimental to the client/therapist relationship.…

    • 3615 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    This essay will argue that power, in its various forms, is the vital component for politics, because political policy mainly changes things through the use of power.…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    POSC 1013 Lesson 1

    • 1991 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Politics (from Greek politikos "of, for, or relating to citizens") as a term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the corporate, academic, and religious segments of society. It consists of "social relations involving authority or power" and to the methods and tactics used to formulate and apply policy.…

    • 1991 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Bond, J. R. (2007). ‘The Scientification of the Study of Politics: Some Observations on the Behavioral Evolution in Political Science’, Journal of Politics, November, Vol. 69, Issue 4, pp. 897-907.…

    • 1722 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Comparative Politics

    • 14373 Words
    • 58 Pages

    References: Almond, G. (1990), A Discipline Divided. Schools and Sects in Political Science, Newbury Park: Sage. Almond, G. et al. (1973), Crisis, Choice and Change: Historical Stories of Political Development, Boston: Little Brown.…

    • 14373 Words
    • 58 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this chapter the authors gave vivid articulations on political inquiry, how the subject advances knowledge in political process in societies and how it also require students of political science to have the foundation on how to carry out research endeavors in the sphere of good governance in nation states. According to the authors “political science is said to be the queen of all other social sciences because of its relevance for all times and seasons, because as long as nation states exist the issue of politics and governance will still remain relevance least nation states slip back to Thomas Hobbes state of nature where life will become nasty, brutish, solitary and short, political inquiry has to do with arriving at dependable solution to problems. The authors gave student the guideline to follow when carrying out a research which they explained as follows, the research be is expected to put certain things in place to come out with good and acceptable conclusion in the…

    • 2126 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Modern States

    • 2595 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The state can be seen as a concept which has emerged over thousands of years in order to sustain the needs of societies growing in size and complexity. This growth in size and complexity was coupled with the growing need for authority and order, due to special mechanisms being needed for society to benefit from its increased social power and productive capacity (Petho, 2010:6). State formation passes through stages of development and hinges upon ecological, demographic, economic and political factors (Petho, 2010:2). As a result of this, not all states developed in the same way. States which developed prior to 1945 and post-1945 experienced very different state formation as well as a changed economic environment (Spruyt, 2007:223;25). This literature review will aim to analyse the literature covering the way in which the modern state is defined as well as the two theories which discuss how it came to prominence as we know it today, additionally reference will be made to how the modern state differs from the post-colonial state in Africa.…

    • 2595 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays