Social Science and Politics

 

The problems of creating a valid science of politics seem to be enormous. They include problems of value conflict, of complexity, of method and of philosophy. It is tempting to dismiss conflicts of value as irrelevant to scientific investigation. The argument is that science is morally neutral (‘value-free’), but can be used for good or evil. In social analysis it has been impractical to create a ‘value-free’ vocabulary acceptable alike to social democrats, neoconservative free-marketeers, Marxists and feminists. For example describing a university staff meeting a social democrat will observe academic democracy at work, a neo-conservative will see only a series of individuals defending their interests, a Marxist will see wage-slaves of the capitalist system, a feminist sees a series of male domination.

Scholars focused on a scientific approach to politics collect quantitative data about political behaviour. This is done through social surveys which may be carried out on a large scale by market research firms or on a smaller scale by researchers themselves. These surveys focus upon voting behaviour and mass attitudes to political systems. Legislative voting patterns and the texts of newspapers, political speeches, and a wide variety of other observations can also be subjected to statistical analysis.

Modern statistical analysis enables the researcher to make judgments on the existence of significant associations between variables. However such questions as what proposition to investigate, what variables to examine, whether to treat variables as dependent or independent require a theory of what is tested. On a philosophical level it has been argued that social explanations need to explain the motives of the persons involved, not just predict what will happen. Such considerations stress the need for qualitative methods of analysis, for example participant observation, in-depth interviews, case studies, and focus groups. Such methods are more frequently applied by traditional or radical scholars – especially postmodernists.

Perhaps the most influential group of ‘political scientists’ dates back to Gabriel Almond and the Committee on Comparative Politics of the American Political Science Association in the 1960s. The terminology and approach of these ‘functionalist’ writers is prevalent in studies of American, British and comparative politics. In early work, Almond and Coleman argued that we should speak of: ‘Political System’ instead of ‘State’, ‘Functions’ instead of ‘Powers’, ‘Roles’ instead of ‘Offices’, ‘Structures’ instead of ‘Institutions’, ‘Political Culture’ instead of ‘Public Opinion’, ‘Political Socialization’ instead of ‘Citizenship Structure’.

Their argument was that by studying the processes necessary to maintain any political system, and not focusing on democratic institutions, they were creating the basis for a scientific approach. This attempt has been very successful, thousands of writers have employed the terms suggested, and every modern country has been described in these terms.

 

1 Give Ukrainian equivalents for the following words and expressions.

Valid, complexity, impractical, free-marketeer, domination, quantitative, social survey, on a large scale, to enable, proposition, variable, to maintain.

 

2 Translate words and word combinations from Ukrainian into English and use them in your own sentences.

Соціал-демократ, голосування, метод якісного аналізу, метод аналізу конкретних ситуацій.

3 Complete the sentences with words or phrases from the list.

Maintain, voting patterns, neoconservative free-marketeers, comparative politics, scientific investigation, social democrats.

 

1. In this view, _____ ______ can grasp objective reality, because the subjectivity of individual observers can be controlled through rigid adherence to neutral procedures in the context of systematic experiments and logical deductions.

2. The roll-call analysis demonstrates that the closest partnership in Danish social legislation was that between the ____ _____ and the Radical Liberals.

3. The ____ ______ _____ are everywhere in the ascendant. Their creed is that unemployment and social insecurity are inevitable as the global economy advances.

4. Additionally, looking at legislators ' ___ ______ mirrors the practice of organizations that monitor the voting behavior of Members of Congress.

5. Traditionally, as already noted, the central intellectual question in the _____ _______tradition is how best to explain and account for the nature and processes of social and political change in discrete units: states.

6. Even in systems with frequent minority governments, the implicit support (or lack of opposition) of a majority of the legislature is necessary to _____ the government in office.

4 Complete the sentences.

1. On a philosophical level...

2. Scholars focused on...

3. This attempt has been...

4. Legislative voting patterns...

5. The problems of...

6. The terminology and approach...

7. Such considerations...

 

5 Comprehension questions.

1. What problem does creating of a valid science of politics present?

2. How is philosophy related to science? Can science be free of values?

3. How is politics analyzed if researchers follow scientific approach?

4. What data can be part of quantitative analysis?

5. What should social explanations include on a philosophical level?

6. What terminology was introduced by the Committee on Comparative Politics?

7. Was the approach of the American Political Science Association successful?

 

6 Say if the following statements are true according to the text.

1. The problems of creating a valid science of politics are few.

2. A ‘value-free’ vocabulary was acceptable only to social democrats.

3. A social democrat, a neo-conservative, a Marxist, and a feminist will describe a university staff meeting in the same way.

4. Quantitative data are collected through social surveys.

5. Statistical analysis never deals with texts of newspapers and political speeches.

6. Participant observation, in-depth interviews, case studies, and focus groups are used in political science today.

7. The terminology and approach of the Committee on Comparative Politics is prevalent in studies of French, British and Ukrainian politics.

8. Scholars today study the processes necessary to maintain any political system, and create the basis for a scientific approach.