Define comparative politics. Explain the different approaches in the study of comparative politics.

Comparative politics:

Broadly the goal of comparative politics is to encompass the major political similarities and differences between countries.

The task is to develop some perspective on the mixture of constants and variability which characterizes the world’s governments and the contexts in which they operate.

While the term comparative government is quite old, the term comparative politics as mentioned above is relatively new.

The change is significant, as are a number of differences between the two, which go much beyond that of nomenclature. The former is described as the traditional approach while the latter is viewed as the modern approach.

Different approaches in the study of comparative politics:

Political investigators use different approaches tools to arrive at greater political understanding.

The diversity of approaches are used by political scientists to attack the complexity of political systems and behaviour. 

Traditional approaches:

The traditional approaches to Political Science was broadly predominant till the occurrence of the Second World War. There are many types of traditional approaches:

Philosophical approach: Philosophical approach is conventional approach to study politics.

Customarily,the study of politics was subjugated by philosophical reflections on universal political values that were regarded as essential to the just state and the good state.

Historical approach: This approach states that political theory can be only understood when the historical factors are taken into consideration.

Institutional approach: There is a strong belief that philosophy, history and law have bestowed to the study of politics and it is in the field of institutional approaches.

Legal approach: In the realm of traditional approaches, there is a legal or juridical approach.

Modern approaches:

The political philosophers, later on, realized the need to study politics from a new viewpoint. There are many types of Modern Approaches:

Sociological approach: Political science and sociology both are social sciences and in several places they overlay. 

Psychological approach: There is a strong link between politics and psychology. Psychologists usually study the political behavior of individuals and the factors leading to such behavior.

Economic approach: Economics and politics are vital arenas of social science and in several respects, they are closely related.

Quantitative approach: This approach is also known as the statistical approach. It is described as the use of numerical data so as to impart exactitude to the process of describing and analyzing the political phenomena.

System approach: This approach falls in the category of a modern approach. The notion of Systems Theory was emerged from ancient time, dates back to 1920s.

Simulation approach: The facts of this approach are borrowed by political scientists from natural science as well as from cybernetics and mathematics.

Behavioral approach: Behaviouralism is considered a contemporary approach to the study of political science. But this approach emerged during 20th century.

Marxian approach: Marxian approach to politics is not limited to the writings of Marx, Engels and Lenin but all those of a congregation of later writers such as Luxemburg, Trotsky, Gramsci and many others. 

Structural functional approach: According to this approach, the society is a single inter-related system where each part of the system has a definite and distinct role to play.

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