"Political science is the scientific study of politics."
The study of key concepts and ideas that explain and predict political behavior, including power, democracy, and governance.
Political philosophy: Political philosophy is the study of the principles governing the behavior of individuals and groups within a political community.
Comparative politics: Comparative politics is the study of the similarities and differences among political systems throughout the world.
International relations: International relations is the study of the interactions between states, non-state actors, and international organizations.
Political institutions: Political institutions are organizations, such as the legislature, executive branch, and judiciary, that play a central role in governing a society.
Political economy: Political economy is the study of the interactions between economic and political systems, and how political decisions influence economic outcomes.
Voting behavior: Voting behavior is the study of how individuals choose to vote in elections, and how these choices are influenced by factors such as demographics, social identity, and political ideology.
Political parties: Political parties are organizations formed to represent distinct ideological positions and compete for political power.
Public opinion: Public opinion is the collective views held by members of a society about political issues or events.
Political communication: Political communication is the study of the ways in which political messages are conveyed to citizens through various forms of media.
Civil society: Civil society refers to the institutionalized participation of citizens in the public sphere, such as through protest movements, interest groups, and community organizations.
Political culture: Political culture is the shared values, norms, and beliefs that define the attitudes and behaviors of citizens within a political community.
Political psychology: Political psychology is the study of how individual psychological factors, such as personality traits and cognitive biases, influence political decision-making.
Political violence: Political violence is the use of physical force, such as terrorism and war, for political ends.
Game theory: Game theory is a mathematical approach to understanding strategic decision-making in political and economic contexts.
Research methods: Research methods are the tools used to conduct empirical studies in political science, such as surveys, experiments, and case studies.
Normative Political Theory: This type of theory examines the ethical and moral foundations of political systems and governmental authority. It aims to establish an ideal form of government or a set of values by which governments and their institutions should be judged.
Behavioral Political Theory: This theory assesses decision-making processes within the political system from a psychological and social perspective, examining how actors make choices and how their behaviors affect political outcomes.
Comparative Political Theory: Comparative Political Theory focuses on the comparison of political systems and the search for general patterns of political processes across different cultures and regions.
Rational Choice Political Theory: This theory seeks to explain political outcomes as the result of purposeful decision-making by individuals or groups who seek to maximize their own self-interest in a competitive environment.
Marxist Political Theory: Marxist Political Theory approaches politics as a struggle between economic classes, and seeks to explain how economic relationships shape political institutions and outcomes.
Feminist Political Theory: As a discipline within gender studies, Feminist Political Theory examines the relationship between gender, sexuality, and politics. It explores how political institutions create and reproduce gender inequality and seeks to develop strategies for political and social transformation.
Postmodern Political Theory: This theory examines power relationships within society and rejects universal notions of truth and authority. Postmodernists argue that knowledge is constructed and influenced by myriads of social factors, and is always in flux.
Realist Political Theory: This type of theory emphasizes the importance of state power, sovereignty, and national interests. Realism is often used to explain international politics and the actions of nation-states.
"It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and laws."
"Modern political science can generally be divided into the three subdisciplines of comparative politics, international relations, and political theory."
"Other notable subdisciplines are public policy and administration, domestic politics and government, political economy, and political methodology."
"Political science is related to, and draws upon, the fields of economics, law, sociology, history, philosophy, human geography, political anthropology, and psychology."
"Approaches include positivism, interpretivism, rational choice theory, behaviouralism, structuralism, post-structuralism, realism, institutionalism, and pluralism."
"Political science, as one of the social sciences, uses methods and techniques that relate to the kinds of inquiries sought: primary sources, such as historical documents and official records, and secondary sources, such as scholarly journal articles, survey research, statistical analysis, case studies, experimental research, and model building."
"Modern political science can generally be divided into the three subdisciplines of comparative politics, international relations, and political theory."
"Political science is related to, and draws upon, the fields of economics, law, sociology, history, philosophy, human geography, political anthropology, and psychology."
"Approaches include positivism, interpretivism, rational choice theory, behaviouralism, structuralism, post-structuralism, realism, institutionalism, and pluralism."
"Political science... uses methods and techniques that relate to the kinds of inquiries sought: primary sources, such as historical documents and official records, and secondary sources, such as scholarly journal articles, survey research, statistical analysis, case studies, experimental research, and model building."
"Other notable subdisciplines are public policy and administration, domestic politics and government, political economy, and political methodology."
"Political science is related to, and draws upon, the fields of economics, law, sociology, history, philosophy, human geography, political anthropology, and psychology."
"Political science... uses methods and techniques that relate to the kinds of inquiries sought: primary sources, such as historical documents and official records..."
"...and secondary sources, such as scholarly journal articles, survey research, statistical analysis, case studies, experimental research, and model building."
"Political science is the scientific study of politics."
"It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and laws."
"Other notable subdisciplines are public policy and administration, domestic politics and government, political economy, and political methodology."
"Political science is related to, and draws upon, the fields of economics, law, sociology, history, philosophy, human geography, political anthropology, and psychology."
"Political science is methodologically diverse and appropriates many methods originating in psychology, social research, and political philosophy."