Question

write a note on the growth of the discipline of political science

Answer 1

Political science is a social science which deals with systems of governance, and the analysis of political activities, political thoughts and political behavior.[1] It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics which is commonly thought of as determining of the distribution of power and resources. Political scientists "see themselves engaged in revealing the relationships underlying political events and conditions, and from these revelations they attempt to construct general principles about the way the world of politics works

Answer 2

The study of politics has had a long tradition. As a matter of fact, Political Science has its roots in ancient Greece. The Greeks used the term “politika” to describe the numerous activities of the “Polis” or city-states in which they lived. Thus, it was the Greek thinkers who laid the foundation for the development of a systematic science of politics. They were mainly concerned with questions of morality and ethics and tried to define an ideal state. The first efforts to systematically study politics can be traced in the works of the two famous political thinkers from ancient Greece, namely, Plato and Aristotle. Later, Christian religious thinkers like St. Augustine and St.Thomas Aquinas, also dwelt upon the idea of an ideal state and sought to derive moral and ethical principles regarding the same. Accordingly, in the classical (Greek) and Christian formulations, Political Science was more in the realm of political philosophy focusing on the study of state.

In the fifteenth century, Niccolo Machiavelli, the Italian political thinker, started the tradition of studying existing and historical political institutions. It marked a departure from the classical and Christian traditions of political philosophy. Efforts were made to identify institutional arrangements that would maintain social order and political stability. Accordingly, political thinkers subsequently tried to deal with the historical origins of different political institutions and their structural frameworks.

However, it must be mentioned here that the origin of Political Science as an academic discipline is not very old. Many thinkers have contributed towards the growth of Political Science as a discipline. In this context, the name of Francis Lieber, who was a professor of History and Political Science at Columbia University, needs special mention. His work ‘Civil Liberty and Self Government’ has made significant contribution towards the growth of Political Science as an academic discipline.

Another landmark in the growth of Political Science was the establishment of a school of Political Science at Columbia University at the initiative of John. W. Burgess in 1880. It was called the Faculty of Political Science. In 1886 this school inaugurated the Political Science Quarterly which was the first scholarly journal of Political Science as a discipline. It heralded a new era in the growth of the discipline as it gave scholars a new platform to express their views in writing.
The establishment of Johns Hopkins University in 1876 was another milestone in the growth of Political Science. In this context, the establishment of Johns Hopkins Historical and Political Science Association in 1877 and The Johns Hopkins Studies in Historical and Political Science are worth mentioning.
Accordingly, the above two universities- Columbia and Johns Hopkins, contributed significantly towards the growth of Political Science as an academic discipline. The studies and research carried out in these universities also widened the scope of Political Science which was earlier confined to the study of political institutions and historical origin. The subject subsequently began to embrace various concepts like rights, justice, law, sovereignty while analyzing the functioning of governments. The political thinkers also started discussing the merits and demerits of various forms of governments, political institutions etc.

The establishment of the American Political Science Association in 1903 provided a boost towards the strengthening of Political Science as a discipline. It soon became a leading organization for the study of political science and provided a platform for different scholars, departments and institutions from the discipline of Political Science. It also widened the scope of Political Science beyond the study of political philosophy and institutions.

During the 1920s, Political Science made a paradigm shift in the form of the positivist movement. It sought to make the study of Political Science scientific by applying empirical and statistical methods. The Social Science Research Council was chartered in 1923 to encourage scientific research in Economics, Sociology and Political Science. The positivist movement culminated in the behavioural revolution of the 1950s. The growth of behaviouralism can be regarded as the major landmark in the growth of Political Science as a discipline. The behaviouralists put emphasis on making the study of Political Science scientific. They were influenced by the developments and research in different disciplines and they tried to make the study of Political Science inter-disciplinary. In order to draw scientific conclusions the behaviouralism advocated the use of statistical methods and tools in the study of Political Science.