what are the features of comparative politics?
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Answer:
Comparative Politics focuses on analytical empirical research. It is no longer confined to descriptive studies. It seeks to analyse, empirically and analytically, the actual activities of the governments and their structures and functions. It stands for scientific studies of politics.Comparative Politics involves a value-neutral empirical study of the various processes of politics in their environment. Only those values are admitted whose validity can be scientifically demonstrated. It basically concentrates upon the study of what is and not what should be.
It rejects the normative-prescriptive approach of the comparative government. It aims at developing an empirical and objective theory of politics capable of explaining and comparing all phenomena of politics.
Feature # 3. Emphasis Upon the Study of Infra-Structure of Politics:
Comparative Politics now seeks to analyse the actual political behaviour of individuals, groups, structures, sub-systems and systems in relation to the environment in which their behaviour manifests. It is now not confined to the study of formal institutions of government in terms of their legal powers and functions.
It seeks to analyse the actual behaviour of all political structures in the environment. To study the dynamics of politics i.e., its actual operation in the environment, is regarded as the key focus of Comparative Politics. The study of the decision-making process in a given environment, for example, forms an integral part of Comparative PoliticComparative Politics accepts the desirability and need for adopting inter-disciplinary focus. It accepts the need to study politics with the help of the knowledge of psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics and other social sciences. Political behaviour is a part of the general social behaviour, and is intimately related to all other aspects of human behaviour.
As such, it can be systematically analysed only with reference to other social sciences. Further, the study of political structures can be studied only in relation with the social structures. This again makes it imperative for the students of Comparative Politics to adopt an inter-disciplinary focus.Whereas in its traditional form, it involved only the study of the governments of the developed societies, in contemporary times, it places great stress on the study of the political systems of developed as well as developing societies.
The biased and parochial nature of traditional studies stands replaced by all-embracing studies of developing as well as developed political systems. Study of political systems of Asia, Africa and Latin America enjoys equal importance with the study of American and European political systems. Modern political scientists, like Almond, Coleman, Sidney Verba, David Easton, Powell and Edward Shills, have given considerable importance to the study of politics in developing societies.
It has been accepted by all the political scientists that Comparative Politics must include all political systems of our times, developed as well as developing, European as well as non-European, and major as well as minor. Each political system is a laboratory which can provide useful insights into the processes of politics and lead to the collection of data which can provide valuable threads for knitting a theory of politics.