Political science

Political science (well-known also like politología) is a social science that as much develops its field of study in the actually political theory as in its diverse manifestations. Its object of study is the “political reality”, analytical category on which the politólogo applies to all the methodologic tools today available to describe, to explain and to formulate political predictions on the facts and phenomena they conform that it. We find comprising of this reality polítca a: socialized plaintiffs (individual or group); mediation structures (divided to politicians and groups of interest); norms formalized for the peaceful resolution of conflicts; implicitly formalized but not accepted norms; dominant ideologies, doctrines, values, beliefs and opinions; institutions (the State, most important); and of course the power. The Politología, extending the description and the mere opinion, orients to the rigorous, systematic and objective knowledge (appraisable) of the facts and phenomena that conform the political reality. The produced knowledge, like in all science, is obtained by means of the observation and the reasoning, having used structured arguments systematically and of which general principles and laws are deduced. In this meaning the term “science” (political) is adopted in its traditional meaning like opposed the “opinion” where “to take care scientifically of policy” means not to give in to the belief of the common people and not to launch value trials on the nonaccurate data base. In a word, to be sent to the evidence of the facts; that is to say, to study the repetition of phenomena in the policy area, to similarity than happens in numerical sciences. Therefore, the study of the policy is the observable thing. Generally it is not referred to which it would have to be the policy like ideal type or wanted conduct; that area within the political theory is characteristic of the political philosophy. It is not either the study of the formal elements of the policy as they are it the laws, their formation and the intentions of these, mission of the jurisprudence. Political science considers the effective and observable political behavior of the people and the companies, as well as of their structures and trials. Their levels of teorización are the descriptive one, explanatory and the predictive one. We can define, then, to political Science like “the science that studies the political reality so what is (and not as it would have to be)”.

History

During the Industrial Revolution and the liberal revolutions of century XIX, the necessity was created to carry out a social critic in order to evaluate the social changes and politicians who followed one another, as well as its impact on society and the reasons had produced that them. The preoccupation by the social change, combined with the development that natural sciences were obtaining thanks to the development of the scientific method, drove the merger of both, giving rise to social sciences. Thus sociology would arise, and more ahead political science, associated to the study of the jurisprudence and the political philosophy.

Therefore, political science is a relatively recent discipline, whose birth (at least concerning modern political science) some locate in century XVI with Nicholas Maquiavelo (separation of the morale and the policy). Nevertheless, already in Seniority forms of organization exist political: polis (where the word was born “policy”, and that means city) in the Greek democracy, Res Publica (public thing) that restored the equality as far as the political rights in Old Rome, with the exception of the slaves. In the Chinese Thought of Marcel Granet, art of politics dated from the “confucianas schools”. The Chinese public administration is oldest, beginning the “mandarinato” at this time.

Anglofonía distinguishes between political scientist (political or politólogo scientist) and political analyst (political analyst).

The term political science was coined in 1880 by Herbert Baxter Adams, professor of history of the University Johns Hopkins. Although its genuine development as it disciplines scientist is subsequent to World War II, before this period it was associated to the study of the jurisprudence and the political philosophy. Other authors affirm that the term Political Science is proposed by Paul Janet, who uses for the first time in his work History of Political Science and its reports with the Morale written in the middle of century XIX.

Areas of research

The main areas of research and analyzes of political science are:

• the political power and the characteristics of its obtaining and its exercise
• the authority and its legitimacy
• the State
• the public administration
• the public policies
• the public management
• the political institutions
• the political systems and the political regimes
• the political parties and the electoral systems
• the ordering of the collective action
• the political behavior
• the public opinion and the political communication
• the international reports

The most important areas of study within the political theory are oriented towards the public analysis of the institutions, policies, the compared policy, the political behavior and the political communication.

Between the main contemporary authors who contributed to the development and consolidation of political science as she disciplines independent we can mention between but the excellent ones Gabriel Almond, Norberto Bobbio, Robert A. Dahl, Maurice Duverger, David Easton, Harold D. Lasswell, Arendt Liphjart, Giovanni Sartori, Sydney Verba, Stein Rokkan, Dieter Nohlen and Gianfranco Pasquino among others.

The Ready Type of UNESCO

Finalized World War II, and at the most it matured political science like intellectual company, greater it was the volume and the variety of the subjects to study. In spite of it, the discipline threatened coming down, due to the enormous effort that supposed establishing a logical and coherent order in a bamboleante pile of knowledge on the most varied subjects. Year 1948 marks a landmark in political science: to order of UNESCO, the most outstanding experts and students meet in Paris in order to try to redefine and to limit their object of study. The deliberations conclude with the preparation of famous the “List Type”, processed under a strong influence of the Anglo-Saxon thought. Although it constitutes only one mere pragmatic enumeration of subjects, in the sense that does not lock up an essential or distinguishing concept of the politician, a forced reference point continues being in spite of more than half century of life for the university processing of theoretical marks and preparation of currícula.

The different proposed subjects are grouped in 4 sections:

I. political Theory

• a) Political theory
• b) History of the political ideas

II. Political institutions

• a) Constitution
• b) Central government
• c) Regional and local government
• d) Public administration
• e) Economic and social functions of the government
• f) Compared political institutions

III. Parties, groups and public opinion

• a) Political party
• b) Groups and associations
• c) Participation of the citizen in the Government and the Administration
• d) Public opinion

IV. International reports

• a) International policy
• b) Organization and international administration

Approaches

Some of the main approaches in political science are:

• Conductismo
• Neoinstitucionalismo
• Rational choice
• Sistémica theory
• Compared policy

Other theories and methods used in political science:

• Theory of games
• Realism
• Pluralism

Methods

The methods used by political science are mainly those of social sciences. The field surveys can allow to actually authenticate and to verify the ideas launched by the authors. The surveys are, in certain form, the “kitchen prescriptions” of political science.

Qualitative method

The qualitative method consists of realizing semi-orientativas interviews with plaintiffs concerned or affected by the study object. The advantage of this method is that it allows to gather a material information rich (more complete than in questionnaires). The risk to avoid is the reproduction of the speech of the plaintiffs in which it is said later on the object at issue (for example, an electoral study that reflects the points of view of one or the other politician of a determined party). The qualitative method is used mainly by the European researchers.

Quantitative method

The quantitative methods imply the use of the questionnaire (written, by telephone) and of the statistic. They allow to successfully obtain an huge number of data and, therefore, to analyze the phenomena under a global point of view. The enormous amount of data gives a certain representativeness to the produced results. The constitution of a representative sample (with the same proportions by categories of people that in the reality) is, therefore, necessary. The data are treated next by means of statistical tools like SPSS or MODALISA. The quantitative methods require of a certain technical power of the statistical tools, and are also more expensive. These great surveys require solid equipment and means. They are used, mainly, in Member States.

Historical method

The historical method consists neither of a collection of data and a succession of events nor of a quantitative history, but of portraying the “long history of the policy”, with the purpose of to put in evidence “the social logics of the work in the political life” in the long term.

Political science at present

Education

Europe

In Spain the studies receive the name of Degree in Political Sciences and the Administration, doing to converge, of explicit way, political science and the management science. During several years the studies of Political Sciences and Sociology, given to the existing similarities and the closely related between both sciences, were solicited of joint form, specializing later the student in one or the other branch.

In France, although the different public faculties from the country supply studies of social sciences, the education of political science is concentrated in nine prestigious Great Schools that receive the name of Institute of Political Studies or, more popularly, Sciences Po (Po Sciences). The access to these institutes is carried out by means of restrictive evidence of access, and the formation in the same gives an major importance to the aspect practical of the multidisciplinary knowledge to acquire by the students. Selective of the access and the prestige of the centers it gives like result a labor strong demand of the professionals trained in these institutes, as much in the public sector as in the private one. Good part of the class French politics has been formed in them.

Latin America

In Chile the Degree in Political and Governmental Sciences with the title of Public Administrator exists (University of Chile). Also a Degree in Political Science with the title of Political Scientist exists (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile)

In Venezuela it varies the title that confers the university institution to the student who enlists of his classrooms: Lawyer in Political Sciences, Lawyer in Political and Administrative Studies or simply Politólogo.

In Peru, the university degree is of Lawyer in Political Science.

In Colombia, on the other hand, the university degree is Politólogo.

Bibliography

• Josep M. Vallès: Political science. An introduction. Barcelona, 2000, ISBN 978-84-344-1824-0.
• Dieter Nohlen (ed.): Dictionary of Political Science. Theories, methods, concepts. Porrúa, City of Mexico 2006, ISBN 970-07-6115-0.
• Norberto Bobbio, Nicola Matucci and Gianfranco Pasquino: Dictionary of Policy edit. Century Twenty-one, City of Mexico 2002, ISBN 968-23-1669-3.
• Melo, Artemio Luis: Compendium of Political Science (2 volumes). Editorial Depalma, Buenos Aires 1983. ISBN 978-950-14-1516-2.
• Goodin, R. - Klingeman, H. - D. New manual of political science (2 volumes). Istmo Ediciones, S.A. Madrid, 2001. ISBN 84-7090-368-3.
• Michael Roskin, Robert L. Cord, James A. Medeiros, and Walter S. Jones, 2007, Political Science: An Introduction (New York: Prentice Hall).
• Schram, Sanford F. and Brian Caterino, 2006 eds., Making Political Science Matter: Debating Knowledge, Research, and Method. New York and London: New York University Press.
• Klingemann, Hans-Dieter (ed.): The State of Political Science in Western Europe. Opladen: Cruel Budrich Publishers 2007, ISBN 978-3-86649-045-3

References

1. ↑ Maquiavelo, the prince, diverse editings (1532)
2. ↑ Déloye, Yves, Sociologie historique du politique, Paris, the Découverte, Repères, 2007, (3ª ed.), P. 22, ISBN|2707152013
3. ↑ Idem, P. 26

It is also seen

• Vestibule: Contained political science related to political Science.

External Links

• Spanish association of Political Science and the Administration
• It illustrates National School of Doctors and Lawyers in Political Sciences and Sociology (Spain)
• Political city Appeals for educational students and of political Science
• Chilean association of Ciencia Política (ACCP)
• 'Political Science in Internet'
• Company Argentina de Análisis Político (SAAP)
• Political areas Site of Argentina. Appeals, papers, articles and I connect.
• Compared policy Space dedicated to the development of the policy compared in Argentina. Working documents, Articles and links of area.papers, articles and I connect.
• Civic proposal promotes the Citizen Participation in Mexico, Initiatives, Projects, Articles, the News etc.
• IDP. Magazine of Internet, Law and Policy Electronic publishing driven by the Studies of Law and Political Science of the UOC

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