Definition, Scope and Importance of Political Science

Overview and Definition of Political Science

Political science is that branch of the social sciences that studies the state, politics, and government. Political Science deals extensively with the analysis of political systems, the theoretical and practical applications to politics, and the examination of political behavior.

The Greek thinker, Aristotle, defined political science as the study of the state.

Many political scientists view themselves as being engaged in fleshing out the connections between political events and conditions, and by this understanding they hope to construct a system of general principles that posit the way the world of politics works.

Political science is not a standalone field and it intersects many other branches like sociology, economics, history, anthropology, public policy among others.

Political scientists are much sought after these days because of the changing landscape of politics across the world and since the society wants to understand how the political world works, they need someone to explain the nuances of the political economy.

Any casual perusal of the newspapers and the television channels reveals that political scientists are at the forefront of debates and discussions for their knowledge and expertise.

Scope of Political Science

The scope of political science is vast and experts have divided the field of political science into five sub-disciplines that are:

1. political theory,
2. public administration,
3. comparative politics,
4. international relations, and
5. public law

It needs to be noted that these sub-disciplines cover the entire gamut of the modern political economy and provide the basis for the study and understanding of how the global political economy works.

The study of the matters concerning the allocation and distribution as well as the transfer of power is one of the main preoccupations of political scientists. The success or otherwise of the governance structures is gauged by political scientists who examine the multifaceted and multilayered factors at work that contribute to good or bad governance.

The scope of the political scientists has now been broadened to include the realm of the study of the democratic elections across the world.

In other words, with the explosion in the political systems all over the world, political scientists, and their scope of study has been considerably enhanced.

The Importance of Political Science

The importance of political science lies in the fact that all of us live within political systems and we are affected by the changes in the global political economy.

With the advent of globalization, there has been a concomitant rise in the interest taken by the people of the world in understanding the political systems of other countries. Hence, political scientists become valued and important as they provide the lens through which we can understand the global political economy.

There are many universities that provide graduate and higher-level degrees in political science and in recent years, because of the renewed interest in political science as a field of study, there are many takers for these courses.

This article sets the context for the subsequent discussion on the various aspects of political science and its relevance to the modern political economy.