Political science is a social science that primarily engages with the theory and practice of political activities, institutions, thoughts, and behavior in and around government systems. Law establishes, maintains, influences, and is influenced by the various government systems, and consequently engages deeply with political science.
They together study various interesting areas of research that largely concern themselves with questions of power, its distribution, and its influence. These areas of power largely include the various administrative bodies, legislatures, enforcement agencies including different militaries, judiciaries, constitutional delegations, and appointments, etc. Together, they attempt to answer the most fundamental questions concerning the various power struggles within the legal institutions and in the administration of law.
Research Methodology:
As with all things, one must start at the beginning. While this sounds fairly obvious, political science is an expansive discipline and requires some basic, as well as in-depth knowledge of terms that are used. In this starter kit, you will be directed to online resources that will help you acquaint yourself with words and definitions that you might be unaware of. Research in political science, therefore, begins with an understanding of concepts and political theory. What is important while writing is to first collect data, objectively. It pays to refer to a variety of sources to ensure that you are writing in an unbiased and objective manner. Command over facts is more important than command over the language. Referenced here are a few guides to help you get a better understanding of how exactly to go about your research. We as a blog want to adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity, so please direct yourselves to the websites of the original authors!
- Saylor Academy, Introduction to Political Science
- Phillip Pollock, The Essentials of Political Analysis (2015)
For readers who are just getting started:
- Marcus Stadelmann, Political Science for Dummies Cheat Sheet.
- Andrew Heywood, Political Theory: An Introduction (2015)
- Keith Wittington, Daniele Keleman, & Gregory Caldeira, Overview of Law and Politics and the Study of Law and Politics. (2011)
- Andrew Martin & Morgan Hazelton, What Political Science can contribute to the Study of Law (2011)
- Michael Kraft & Scott Furlong, Public policy: Politics, analysis, and alternatives.
- The Oxford Handbook of Political Ideologies (2013)
- Emilie Hafner-Burton, David Victor & Yonatan Lupu, Political Science Research on International Law: The State of the Field (2017)
Note from the Editors:
Dear reader, as you may have observed – the literature predominantly is produced in the context of the global north, hence there is a dearth of articles or books examining the relationship between philosophy and law in the global south (including India).
We sincerely hope that as a reader, you may take up the initiative to write on such topics in the context of the global south (and hopefully publish with us!). In that spirit, we wish happy reading!
Also, if you feel we missed out on any literature/resource or have a recommendation that we can add to this section, please do let us know. Even if you do not have any recommendations, any feedback is much appreciated. Thank you!