Political Science - Organisation and Institution
Semester 2 · 16 topics in 5 units
Unit I 4 topics
- Constitution: meaning, importance, classification and the conditions of a good constitutionWhat a constitution is, why every state has one, the six standard classifications with comparative examples, and the marks of a good constitution.7 min
- Conventions of the constitution and the common law in BritainDicey's distinction between law and convention, why conventions are obeyed, the main British conventions with examples from the USA and India, and the place of the common law in the British constitution.7 min
- Amendment of constitutions: India, USA, UK, France and SwitzerlandWhy constitutions need an amending process, the four general methods, and the amendment provisions of India, the USA, the UK, the Fifth French Republic and Switzerland compared.7 min
- Unitary, federal and quasi-federal governmentUnitary government with Britain and France as examples, federal government and its two methods of formation, features, merits and demerits with the USA, Switzerland and India, and India as a quasi-federation.7 min
Unit II 5 topics
- The legislature: functions, unicameral and bicameral systems, legislative process, budget and committeesWhat legislatures do, the case for and against a second chamber, how a bill becomes law, the normal budgetary procedure and the main legislative committees, with examples from Britain, the USA and India.7 min
- The executive: meaning, types, functions; parliamentary, presidential and plural executivesThe executive in its broad and narrow senses, its kinds and functions, parliamentary and presidential executives compared, and the plural executive in Switzerland and the former USSR.7 min
- Civil service: meaning, features, functions and the civil service in IndiaThe permanent executive in its broad and narrow senses, Weber's bureaucracy, the features and functions of a civil service, Britain, the USA and France as examples, and the all-India and central services in India.6 min
- The judiciary: importance, organisation, functions, independence and judicial reviewWhy the judiciary matters, how courts are organised, what they do, the methods of securing judicial independence and why it is needed, and judicial review in the USA, Britain, France and India.6 min
- Montesquieu's theory of separation of powers: merits, criticism and validity todayWhat Montesquieu said in The Spirit of the Laws, its sources and influence, how far the USA, Britain and India follow it, the case for and against it, and checks and balances as its modern form.6 min
Unit III 3 topics
- Citizenship: meaning, history, acquisition by birth, descent and naturalisation, and lossWho is a citizen and how the idea developed from Athens and Rome, jus soli, jus sanguinis and naturalisation, the other modes of acquisition, the ways citizenship is lost, and the Indian law in brief.6 min
- Political parties: meaning, formation, functions, kinds, merits and demerits, and the Indian party systemBurke's definition, the essentials of a party, manifestos, the functions of parties, single, two and multi-party systems with their merits and defects, and a short account of parties in India.6 min
- Public opinion, the media and pressure groupsMeaning, nature and importance of public opinion, its agencies and the merits and demerits of visual, auditory and audio-visual media; and pressure groups, their kinds, determinants, techniques and a critical appreciation with Indian examples.6 min
Unit IV 2 topics
- The electorate, universal adult franchise and franchise for womenWho the electorate are and why they matter, the necessary qualifications and disqualifications with J.S. Mill's views, universal adult franchise and its merits and demerits, and the arguments over votes for women.6 min
- Constituencies and methods of election: direct and indirect, open and secret, single and plural votingKinds of constituency with their merits and limitations, delimitation in India, direct and indirect election, open and secret ballot, and single versus plural voting with J.S. Mill's views.7 min
Unit V 2 topics
- Representation and minority representation: theories, territorial and functional representation, and the methodsMeaning and nature of representation, Burke's trustee and the delegate, territorial versus functional representation, the case for and against minority representation, and the second ballot, list, cumulative and limited vote systems worked through.7 min
- Proportional representation: the Hare system, the list system, merits, demerits and practice todayThomas Hare's single transferable vote with the quota and a full worked count, the party list system with d'Hondt and largest-remainder allocations worked out, the merits and demerits of PR, and where it is used today including India.7 min