The Political Community:

I. Behaviorist Approaches and Political Socialization

 An overview of Political Community

 Government accountable to citizens, and citizens under government.

 Constitutes one of the most important institutions of contemporary life.

 The mutual obligation of citizens and public officials exhibits a covenantal character.

 Political communities fall somewhere between the two poles:-

• The pole of power
• The pole of indifference

 Affected by serious and even disruptive conflicts but still possessing some degree of inner power to
be and to act.

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 Definition of Power

• Power is the core work of political sociologists.

• Ability to influence the behavior of others with or without resistance

According to Anthony Giddens “ Power is the capability

to secure outcomes where the realization of these
outcomes depends on the agency of others.”

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 The Classics Of Political Sociology

The Main goal is to explain the connections between:

• Social Interaction,

• Social Structures and

• Social Process

(Altered by struggle and resolution.)

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Elitism is the belief that individuals who from an elite, a
select group of people with a certain ancestry, high intellect,
wealth, special skills,
or experiences are more likely to be constructive to society as
a whole.

Elitism &
Pluralism denotes a diversity of views or stands rather than
single approach or method. It belief that there should be
diverse and competing centers of power in society.
Pluralism

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Differentiation between Elitism and Pluralism

Pluralism Elitism
I. Stress on material representation of
I. Stress on immaterial power.
power.
II. If an individual cannot keep up with
II. Only successful individuals who have
politics ,their interests will be protected
proven power may enter political system.
by interest groups.
III. Superiority of the property
III. Compromise and bargaining define
owning ,upper class define Elitist theory.
pluralist theory.
IV. Government is comprised of a single
IV. Government has a checks and balances
mind type that creates policies.
system the evens and power.

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 The common features of the Elitist Theory

• In every society, power is really enjoyed by a small group of persons who have high prestige and
widespread influence.
• The members of the governing elite occupy key positions and control the decision making
mechanism.
• Almost all the elite theorists agree that elite is subject to change is every society.
• Elite teory is based on the realities of the actual working of the political system.

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 1
Characteristics of Pluralism

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 Cultural politics Approaches

• Norms, value, belief and attitude of people towards

politics and political system.
Political
Culture
• A set of shared views and norms held by a population.

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Approach:
• Parochial political cultue
• Subject political culture
• Participant political culture
• Civic culture

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 Political Behavior:

• Part of political behavior are:

1. Political opinions
2. Attitudes
3. Values Beliefs

• Broader field of study.

• Extends to opinions, beliefs and values without

transforming them into behavior.

• Discipline awareness

• Insight to political behavior.

Main Approaches To Study Political Behavior

• The Behaviorist Approach

• Post Behaviorism
• The Golden Age of Behaviorism
• A system Approach: Socialization in Nepal

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 The Behaviorist Approach

• Behaviorism is the study of human behavior in political science.

• Propounded by Charles Mariam

• There are few behaviorist approach such as Bently, Wallas, Lasewell and David
Easton.

• Among them we discuss about David Easton Behaviorist Approach.

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1. An approach to study the subject in a scientific way.

2. Focus on only observable behavior.

3. Use scientific method and techniques.

4. Value free study.

5. Study of informal institution and process.

6. Adopt interdisciplinary approach.

7. Study of ‘what is’ rather than ‘what should be’.

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 Causes of Emergence
• After 2nd world war
• Dissatisfaction with traditional political theory.

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Assumption of behaviorist approach

• Scientific method
• Empirical
• Overall knowledge/ interdisciplinary subject
• From macro to micro
• independent subject

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 Limitation of behaviorist approach
• Pure science
• Value free
• Prediction of human behavior is very difficult.
• Narrowed the scope of political science.
• Forgot the social responsibility.
• Over focuses on technique.

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 Critisism
• Forgot the social responsibility.
• Over focuses on techniques .
• Prediction of human behavior is very difficult.
 The Golden Age of Behaviorism

This age when behaviorism was flourished when post

behaviorism came into existence golden age fade away.

The Golden Age

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Post-Behaviorism and Easton (June 24, 1917- July 19,2014)

He was a Canadian-Born American political scientist. Easton who was

born in Toronto, Ontario, came into the United States in 1943. From
1947-1997, he served as the professor of political science at the
University of Chicago.

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The eight characteristics features of behavioralism as given by David Easton are as follows:

1. Regularities
2. Verification
3. Techniques
4. Quantification
5. Values
6. Systematization
7. Pure Science;
8. Integration

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Thankyou!
Presented By:
Korniva Maharjan, Sujita Maharjan, Lasata
Shakya, Sandipa Gautam, Shrijana Tamang

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