Approaches Flashcards
Types of approaches
Traditional approaches - institutional, historical, philosophical and normative approaches
Modern approaches- political system, structural functional, political economy, political culture, new institutionalism etc
Institutional approach
Focuses on Institutions and structures of political system
• Formal, legal, state/Government and its organs
. Eurocentnic, prescrptive, normative, specularves Politic
• Evolve as Comparative Government
• Edward Finer: ‘The History of Government’
• Duverger,sartori : Comparative Study ofpoliticalparty and paty syster
Up
Derman finer
Passne Tasks
• James Bryce, Herman Finer and Carl Fredrich Sourav
• Institutionalist approach of international political economy draws on theories from the concept of Delegation and agency.
Book The history of government
Edward finer
Book- foreign govt at work
Herman finer
Who did a comparative analyses of the French Russian and Chinese revolution?
Skocpol
Some of the important traditional approaches
- Institutional Approach:
In this Approach institutions and structures of political arrangements are the focus of study Institution/structure denote State, Govt., and other formal organizations through which socio-political arrangements are carried out. Institutions are also defined as consistent and organized pattern of behaviour or activities established by law or custom. The latter indicate soft institutions, without any hard structure of brick and mortar. Family, marriages, caste system, etc. are examples of soft institutions.
Historical Approach:
Comparing two or more historical trajectories of major political phenomenon or events, or selected slices in time of historical trajectories of political phenomenon or events as the units of comparison to develop causal relationship about specific phenomenon, draw generalizations- develop and test hypothesis.
For example:
• Comparative analysis of the French, Russian and Chinese Revolutions, by
Skocpol
• Comparison of Indian national movement before and after Gandhiii arrived on the scene.
Features:
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Genealogical - treating history as a genetic process - how a political phenomenon evolved or how a political event was caused from historical events.
History is used as record of political experiences, case studies, lessons learnt.
Believe in cycle of similar events in historical times, that is, history repeating itself.
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Learning from the past: studying past to understand the causes of political phenomenon in present, and prepare for the future.
Normative- Philosophical Approach:
Using the normative and philosophical methods of abstract reasoning, moral arguments, formal logic and analytical philosophy to compare political phenomena, hypothesize, and determine causal relationship. It is the oldest approach. It was first adopted in pre- political science era in which philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle analysed and prescribed ideal state/society using normative and philosophical approach.
Features:
• Normative- ethical, value loaded, prescriptive, deductive (first build hypothesis then test it- top-down approach), speculative.
• Aim was to have ideal state and society - ideal political community.
• Method: Abstract reasoning, moral arguments, formal logic and analytic philosophy
• Scope: state, constitutions, and government.
• Minuses: speculative, abstract, less factual-hypothetical, state was taken to mystical heights, made politics as mere helping hand of ethics or metaphysics (essence of being).
Who developed system approach
David Easton
Who formulated the structural functional approach
Gabriel almond
Modern approaches
Political System Approach:
Instead of studying State and its institutions, under this approach entire political system is studied as an integrated whole. Here Political system means inter-related institutions, political activities, political actors and processes (arena for ‘the political’) which continuously interact with each other and to its environment to protect and sustain it. Thus, political system is similar to other systems such as eco system. It has life and dynamics of its own. System approach was developed by David Easton.
Features:
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Derived from Biology and general system theory.
Political system is dynamic, self-regulating, and self-sustaining.
System denote ‘whole consisting of interacting parts. Whole is more than sum of its parts.
Patterned interactive relationship among the ‘parts’ of the system.
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Input to the political system are the support (political obligation), and demands for fair distribution of resources, offices, honours, and awards (in form of Public Policies).
Laws and public policies (authoritative allocation of values) are the outputs of the political system
The larger socio-political culture acts like the Environment to the political system.
Structural - Functional approach:
Here the focus is on identifying and studying political structures and functions they perform in any political system. It was formulated by Gabriel Almond who claimed that all political systems have structures, i.e. legitimate patterns of human interactions by which order is maintained; all political structures perform their respective functions, with different degrees in different political systems.
Features:
•Central question under this approach is ‘what structures fulfil what basic functions and under what conditions in any given society”?
•Elements or parts of the political system and patterns of behaviours and interactions among them
forms structures which perform specific political functions.
•Dominant tendency is to maintain status quo: stability through in-built feedback mechanism.
•Changes in the political system are gradual, incremental, and adaptive.
•Involves identification of a set of required or recurring functions and structures performing those functions.
•Political structures may perform the same functions in all system; political structures may be multi-functional. Same structure may perform many functions. Also, many structures may do the same functions.
Political Culture Approach:
General attitude and orientation of people towards politics and political system may be called political culture. In this approach, political phenomena are understood by comparing political culture across space and time.
Features:
• Political culture is component of overarching culture of the nation/community.
• Gained momentum as an approach to comparative politics on the wake of Behavioural movement in political science during 1950s.
• Since political culture is specific to a nation/community, it opposes universalization of political theories based on perspectives of western culture. Hence, it helps overcome ethnocentrism.
• Idea of cultural pluralism, cultural relativism, and multiculturism are integral to this approach.
• Political culture is categorized as matured, developed, low, minimal, homogeneous, fragmented, secular, mass, elite, rural, urban, etc.
Who said institution means humanly devised constrains( checks and balances) that’s structure, political, economic and social interactions
Douglass north
Who said that an institution is an established Law, custom or practice
Lane & errson
Political system approach is derive from where
Biology and general system theory
Input output derivative of system approach
• David Easton: Political system- those interactions (among ‘parts’ of the system) through which values are authoritatively allocated and implemented in a society
• regularized persistent patterns of relationships among the people and institutions within it.
• System: dynamic conversion system; converting input into output
• Input, Output, Feedback
• Inputs to the system:
Demands: claims for actions that people make to satisfy their interests and values
• Support: political obligation - Consent, obey law, pay taxes
• Outputs : Laws, rules, regulations, judicial decisions - Authoritative Allocation of Values
• Feedback: Signals from the environment so to change or modify inputs
What is structure
Formulated by Gabriel Almond: “All political systems have a structure, i.e. legitimate patterns of human interactions by which order is maintained; all political structures perform their respective functions, with different degrees in different political systems;
Who formulated political culture approach
Almond
Macridis - a structure of value and belief in the political system
