PSIR 4 IAS

Qn. 21: Discuss David Easton’s model of Systems Analysis. (2015/I/4c/15) Systems analysis or systems theory is a pioneering model of political analysis, by David Easton, a political scientist, professor and former President of American Political Science Association (APSA). He sought to yield explanations for the interacting components of political processes. Easton’s model describes  inputs  from the environment (‘demands’ and ‘supports’) into the political system, which yields  outputs  (‘decisions’ and ‘policies’), which further produce'  feedback '  in the environment, affecting subsequent inputs. The model is a liberal view of politics. Easton aspired to make politics a science, i.e. working with highly abstract models that described the regularities of patterns and processes in political life. So, politics should be seen as a whole, not as a collection of different problems to be solved. Easton was at the forefront of behavioural and post- behavioural ...

Qn. 20: Comment in 150 words: “…political theory is not an escape mechanism but an arduous calling,” (John Plamanetz) (2014/I/1a/10) The given statement refers to the significance, purpose and status of political theory. That political theory has a crucial role to play – guiding policy makers in particular and enlightening society in general. It also points out that political theory has become a more demanding and challenging task, in recent decades. The statement has been made by John Plamanetz, a political philosopher and Oxford professor. Political theory building has at the core of intelligentsia since a long period of time. Apart from being the oldest discipline, Aristotle called it a ‘ master science’. In its role as a lighthouse to the state or policy makers, it has a profound influence on the human community. Apart from that, it generates awareness and encourages political participation in the population. It helps in critical evaluation, explanation and prediction of political ...

Qn. 19: Comment on the difference between normative and empirical theories of politics. (2012/I/1a/12) Political Science is the oldest discipline and is often reputed as a “master science” by the Aristotle. It is vibrant, dynamic and constantly evolving. There have been many analytical perspectives or methods of development of political theory. Earliest analytical perspectives  were dominated by traditional approaches, especially philosophical approach ( the ethical and normative study of politics). Within this approach, various perspectives sprouted, such as idealism, liberalism, Marxism, feminism etc. Other older approaches can be historical approach and empirical approach. In medieval times , political studies were part of religious studies or scholastics. Hermeneutics or the interpretation of religious texts also took hold. During times of Machiavelli, the autonomous character of politics was recognised. We see the beginning of realist perspectives. After some time, positivism ...

Not a day seems to pass without further evidence of the mounting economic tensions between China and the United States, the world’s two largest economies. This growing antagonism will have a bigger immediate impact on China than on the US, as bilateral decoupling fuels a broader ongoing process of deglobalization. And the negative spillover effects for a subset of other countries – which I call the dual-option economies – could be particularly significant. An overvalued US dollar is ripe for a sharp decline, owing to America’s rapidly worsening macroeconomic imbalances and a government that is abdicating all semblance of global – or even domestic – leadership. And the European Union's approval of a joint rescue fund is likely to accelerate the euro's rise. Even from a purely economic perspective, it is hard to envisage any durable abatement of Sino-American tensions in the near future. And that is before factoring in national-security issues, let alone those relating to technol...

Few of India’s external partnerships draw the kind of passion that Iran does in Delhi. India’s Iran romance endures despite the huge gap between the hype and reality in ties. The persistent enthusiasm for Iran in Delhi also stands in stark contrast to the perennial under-appreciation of India’s much deeper and wider relationship with Iran’s Arab neighbours. The theory of the case in Delhi for an extra-special relationship with Iran rests on a number of claims — historical connections, civilisational bonds, energy supplies and regional security. All these factors are of far greater import in India’s engagement with the Arabian peninsula. Millions of Indian immigrants in the Arab nations, massive hard currency remittances from them, and the density of commercial engagement with the Arab Gulf outweigh the relationship with Iran. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have, in recent years, extended invaluable support in countering terrorism and blocked attempts to condemn India in the Muslim world. The...

Qn. 18: Examine the significance of Behavioural Revolution in politics. (2011/I/2b/30) The behavioural revolution in politics was the advent of a modern political methodology, as a protest movement, according to Dahl, to compensate for the perceived deficiencies of traditional approaches. Behaviouralism inculcated scientific research methods for political analysis. Its significance can be said to be that behavioural revolution was an essential segment in the evolutionary continuum of political analysis. The significance of behavioural revolution was that it arrived as the remedy for crisis in politics. This is the flashpoint of the behavioural revolution. But its roots can be traced to the rise of empiricism (or pre–behaviouralism). Locke, the founder of empiricism, presented parliamentary ideology on basis of empiricism. Pluralist thinkers (Mill, Laski etc.) developed it. Weber, Marx, Wallace, Durkheim and Bentley furthered it. Also, there was a vacuum created in political science due...

Until recently, China was unmistakably trying to be a hegemon in the image of the United States, increasingly complementing its growing hard power with soft power. But China seems to have missed its opportunity to build a serious rival to, or even supplant, the existing world economic order fashioned by the US following World War II. All the elements of success seemed to be falling into place for China. It launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a transnational infrastructure investment program intended to define a vision of a China-led, post-Bretton Woods world, much as the US Marshall Plan did for the post-1945 order. China also aggressively promoted the renminbi as an international currency, and persuaded the International Monetary Fund to include it in the basket of reserve currencies underpinning Special Drawing Rights (the IMF’s unit of account) far sooner than was justified. China also sought to take over leadership of international institutions; it currently heads five. It...

Feminism consists of social, economic and political movements and theories that are concerned with gender inequalities and gaining equal rights for women. In the West, the evolution of the feminist struggle is often referred to as ‘ waves’ of change , reflecting peaks and troughs of the movement. The first wave of feminism began in the late 19th and early 20th century in the West, with the primary goal of securing voting rights. The second wave emerged in the 1960s amid a rising self-consciousness for minority groups, and against the backdrop of civil rights and anti-war sentiments . The movement largely focused on empowering minority groups over issues like reproductive rights and sexuality. The third wave of feminism began in the early 1990s , surging from the new postcolonial and neoliberal world order. The third wave deconstructed the idea of “universal womanhood, ” with the focus moving from communal objectives to individual rights. India's Case The first wave— was laid by t...

Qn. 17: Comment: “Power flows through the system like blood in the capillaries of our body.” (Foucault) (2010/I/1a/20) The statement that power flows like blood in our body, was made by Paul-Michel Foucault the French postmodernist philosopher, to explain his theory that ‘power is everywhere’, diffused and embodied in discourse, knowledge and ‘regimes of truth’. Foucault projects power as a kind of ‘metapower’ or ‘regime of truth’ that pervades society. This ‘regime’ is in constant flux and negotiation. He indicated that power is constituted through accepted knowledge, scientific understanding and ‘truth’. ‘Regimes of Truth’ are the outcome of discourse and institutions. The regimes are reinforced and modified by components of society, viz. education system, media and ideologies. As per Hayward, Power is boundaries that enable and constrain possibilities. Similar to varied functions of blood. He perceived power as dispersed and pervasive, as blood is, in our body. Foucault challenges t...

Will Australia join the Malabar exercises? For weeks, Indian media has reported with near certitude that New Delhi will be inviting Canberra to join its high-level naval exercises, which usually involve the navies of India, Japan, and the United States. While strategic dialogue and informal cooperation has long existed between the four countries, known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the exercises would mark the first time Australia would be part of this official joint military engagement. For India, the decision to extend the invitation—a move it had so far held back on despite interest from Australia—marks a major step. Not only does New Delhi hope to strengthen its relations with its partners in the Indo-Pacific, but it intends to send a strong message to Beijing as border tensions mount: India’s military partnerships are growing stronger than ever, and Chinese intransigence will make them even more potent. India-Australia relations have evolved rapidly over the past five ye...