Differene between traditional and modern approach
Answers
Broadly speaking, there are generally two approaches to study comparative politics. These are Traditional and Modern approaches of comparative politics.
The traditional approaches are mostly legal, institutional, historical, descriptive in nature, while the modern approach is scientific, rational and analytical. The legal approach to comparative politics has scholars like Widrow Wilson, A.v dicey etc., they emphacise on the study of purely political institutions, constitutions, Acts and legislature. They compare the functions performed by different institutions. These approaches lack social, economic, cultural, behavioural factors. They ignore informal institutions like political parties, civil societies etc.
On the other hand, Modern approaches to comparative politics are analytical, more probing and more systematic. In this approaches, scholars like David Easton, Stephen wasby focus on the periphery of the political institutions as well and seek to discover the relations with the political systems. This approaches lay emphasis on input-output, political development, and other associated things of political systems.
Hence both the approaches have their importance in studying different political systems in their respected contexts.