Political science is a social science discipline that deals with systems of government, and the analysis of political activity and political behaviour.[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."[2] Political science is related to and draws upon the fields of economics, law, sociology, history, philosophy, geography, psychology, and anthropology.
Although it was codified in the 19th century, when the contemporary form of the academic social sciences was established, the study of political science has ancient roots that can be traced back to the works of Aristotle, Plato, and Chanakya which were written nearly 2,500 years ago. Political science usually comprises the sub-disciplines of comparative politics, international political economy, international relations, political theory, public administration, public law and political methodology.
Comparative politics is the science of comparison and teaching of different types of constitutions, political actors, legislature and associated fields, all of them from an intrastate perspective. International relations deals with the interaction between nation-states as well as intergovernmental and transnational organizations. Political theory is more concerned with contributions of various classical and contemporary thinkers and philosophers.
Political science is methodologically diverse and appropriates many methods originating in social research. Approaches include positivism, interpretivism, rational choice theory, behaviouralism, structuralism, post-structuralism, realism, institutionalism, and pluralism. Political science, as one of the social sciences, uses methods and techniques that relate to the kinds of inquiries sought: primary sources such as historical documents and official records, secondary sources such as scholarly journal articles, survey research, statistical analysis, case studies, experimental research and model building.
