Comparative Politics
Comparative politics is the comparative study of other countries, citizens, different political units either in whole or in part, and analyzes the similarities and differences between those political units.
SCOPE OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Traditionally, the scope of Comparative Politics was limited and parochial. It was confined to the study of constitutions and political institutions and political institutions in respect of their features, powers and positions. It was ‘parochial’ in the sense that it is involved a study of only European constitutions. Amongst the European Constitutions, the British constitution was regarded as the mother constitution and standard constitution for measuring the worth of all other constitutions. The emphasis was upon the study of governments and institutions. In contemporary times, comparative politics has come out of the parochialism and limited scope of comparative government. It has come to acquire a wide scope which includes the analysis and comparison of the political processes, political activities, political functions, and political structures of all political systems, developed as well as developing and European as well as Asian, African and Latin American. After Second World War, it has undergone revolutionary changes in respect of its scope and methodology.
The following are the main subject matter included in the scope of comparative politics.
All political structures
The scope of comparative politics includes all structures, formal and informal, governmental, and extragovernmental. These structures are directly or indirectly involved in the struggle for power. It is not confined to the study of three forms of governmental organs—legislature, executive, and the judiciary. Along with these, bureaucracy, interest groups, pressure groups, elites, political parties, and all other political groups of human being forms a part of the scope of comparative politics.
Functional studies
Comparative politics seeks to study more from the functions which constitute the political process and their actual operations in the environment. It studies the functions of interest articulation, interest aggregation, political communication, rulemaking, rule application, rule adjudication, socialization, decision making, policymaking, and the like.
Study of political behavior
Another important part of the scope of comparative politics is study of the process of politics. Voting behaviour, political participation, leadership, recruitment, elite behaviour, mass politics etc. form an integral part of comparative politics. Study of similarities and differences Comparative politics also undertake similarities and dissimilarities between various political processes and functions. However, the approach is not descriptive and formalistic. It is on the basis of actual functioning of political structures and processes, the similarities and dissimilarities are explained and compared. The objective is not to decide which is the best process or system. The objective is systematic explanation, understanding and theory building.
Study of political systems
Comparative politics seeks to analyze the actual behavior and performance of political systems-western as well as non- western. The political systems are analyzed and compared in terms of the structures, functions, capabilities and performances.
Study of environment
The study of comparative politics demands a study of the psychological, sociological, economic and anthropological environment. For this study, the political scientists have developed concepts like political culture, political socialization, political modernization etc. The study of the political culture of various political systems forms a very popular focus in comparative politics. This concept has definitely enhanced the ability of political science to explain and compare the functioning of various political systems. Thus, the scope of comparative politics has become very broad. It includes facts within the purview of political processes and activities. It seeks to study all mechanisms of politics.
Study of power, influence and authority
Comparative politics is a study of ‘power’, influence and authority. These three concepts differentiate one political system from the other system.Comparative study of different political systems and their analysis determines the scope of comparative politics. Different political system can be compared in respect of their performance, stability, change and processes. It was David Easton who gave a model of political system on the basis of which different political system can be compared with one another. Easton tries to explain as to how a political system manages to survive. He pleads that a political system.
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