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Introduction to Political Science by OpenStax
Designed to meet the scope and sequence of your course, OpenStax Introduction to Political Science provides a strong foundation in global political systems, exploring how and why political realities unfold. Rich with examples of individual and national social action, this text emphasizes students’ role in the political sphere and equips them to be active and informed participants in civil society.
This is the official print version of this OpenStax textbook. OpenStax makes full-color hardcover and B&W paperback print copies available for students who prefer a hardcopy textbook to go with the free digital version of this OpenStax title. The textbook content is exactly the same as the OpenStax digital book which is available for free download at the OpenStax dot org website, but as many students prefer to study with hardcopy books, we offer affordable OpenStax textbooks for sale through Amazon as well as most campus bookstores.
This is the official print version of this OpenStax textbook. OpenStax makes full-color hardcover and B&W paperback print copies available for students who prefer a hardcopy textbook to go with the free digital version of this OpenStax title. The textbook content is exactly the same as the OpenStax digital book which is available for free download at the OpenStax dot org website, but as many students prefer to study with hardcopy books, we offer affordable OpenStax textbooks for sale through Amazon as well as most campus bookstores.
- GenresPolitical Science
627 pages, Paperback
Published May 18, 2022
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June 29, 2026
Politics can be understood through Harold Lasswell's definition, "Who gets what, when, and how," with the additional question of "why." Politics involves three core elements: rules, reality, and choices. Political outcomes result from interactions between individuals and governments and are neither completely predictable nor entirely random. Power is the ability to influence others' actions and often depends on people's belief in authority.
Political science has two main branches: normative political science, which examines what politics should be, and empirical political science, which studies politics as it actually exists. Empirical political science seeks to describe, explain, and predict political behavior. A special form of collective dilemmas—collective action problems—exists when individuals have incentives not to cooperate with others even though cooperation would benefit the group as a whole.
A major challenge in politics is balancing government authority with individual freedom. Human behavior is shaped by both self-interest and cooperation, as well as by culture, which consists of shared values and practices. The individual is within society, the community, so the community constructs part of the individual identity. Public opinion helps governments understand citizens' preferences and pursue common goals. In addition, understanding public opinion across countries allows for global cooperation and partnership.
Democracy is a continuous deliberation. An action of individual can make difference. Democracy needs informed and engaged citizens. Decline in trust is vicious circle, transparency required to raise trust. As former United States congressman Lee H. Hamilton writes, “The truth is that for our democracy to work, it needs not just an engaged citizenry, but an informed one.” Polarization leads to lower levels of trust, which lead to worse polarization.
On summary, politics is the study of power, decision-making, and collective action. Political science seeks to understand how individuals, cultures, institutions, and governments interact to shape political outcomes. Effective democracy depends on informed citizens, public trust, participation, and a continual effort to balance freedom with authority.
Humans make decisions in two main ways quoting Daniel Kahneman: Thinking, fast and slow. Fast thinking is automatic, intuitive, and emotional, allowing people to make quick judgments with little effort. Slow thinking is deliberate, analytical, and logical, requiring conscious effort and careful evaluation of information. Both forms of thinking influence political beliefs, voting behavior, and decision-making. While fast thinking helps people respond quickly to situations, slow thinking enables more informed and reasoned choices.
Enlightenment thinkers freed human beings from an unquestionable religiosity, superstition, and social rigidity. It transformed political thought by encouraging reason, scientific inquiry, and individual rights as a foundation of modern democratic politics.
What goals shall we seek on politics? Is pursuing self-interest the highest and best goal for political action? What is the purpose of government? How does international law establish the rights and obligations of states? Who should rule? What is political participation? Is democracy better than other forms of government? Why does democracy matter for development? What are human rights? What is social justice? Why is public opinion important? Are your political opinions as rational as you think? How can we create an environment where more people participate in the political process? Why do humans make the political choices that they do? Isn't what is good for all of us, is good for each of us? #प्रश्न_गरौँ_उत्तर_खोजौँ
Introduction to Political Science
OpenStax
OpenStax College (2022)
Political science has two main branches: normative political science, which examines what politics should be, and empirical political science, which studies politics as it actually exists. Empirical political science seeks to describe, explain, and predict political behavior. A special form of collective dilemmas—collective action problems—exists when individuals have incentives not to cooperate with others even though cooperation would benefit the group as a whole.
A major challenge in politics is balancing government authority with individual freedom. Human behavior is shaped by both self-interest and cooperation, as well as by culture, which consists of shared values and practices. The individual is within society, the community, so the community constructs part of the individual identity. Public opinion helps governments understand citizens' preferences and pursue common goals. In addition, understanding public opinion across countries allows for global cooperation and partnership.
Democracy is a continuous deliberation. An action of individual can make difference. Democracy needs informed and engaged citizens. Decline in trust is vicious circle, transparency required to raise trust. As former United States congressman Lee H. Hamilton writes, “The truth is that for our democracy to work, it needs not just an engaged citizenry, but an informed one.” Polarization leads to lower levels of trust, which lead to worse polarization.
On summary, politics is the study of power, decision-making, and collective action. Political science seeks to understand how individuals, cultures, institutions, and governments interact to shape political outcomes. Effective democracy depends on informed citizens, public trust, participation, and a continual effort to balance freedom with authority.
Humans make decisions in two main ways quoting Daniel Kahneman: Thinking, fast and slow. Fast thinking is automatic, intuitive, and emotional, allowing people to make quick judgments with little effort. Slow thinking is deliberate, analytical, and logical, requiring conscious effort and careful evaluation of information. Both forms of thinking influence political beliefs, voting behavior, and decision-making. While fast thinking helps people respond quickly to situations, slow thinking enables more informed and reasoned choices.
Enlightenment thinkers freed human beings from an unquestionable religiosity, superstition, and social rigidity. It transformed political thought by encouraging reason, scientific inquiry, and individual rights as a foundation of modern democratic politics.
What goals shall we seek on politics? Is pursuing self-interest the highest and best goal for political action? What is the purpose of government? How does international law establish the rights and obligations of states? Who should rule? What is political participation? Is democracy better than other forms of government? Why does democracy matter for development? What are human rights? What is social justice? Why is public opinion important? Are your political opinions as rational as you think? How can we create an environment where more people participate in the political process? Why do humans make the political choices that they do? Isn't what is good for all of us, is good for each of us? #प्रश्न_गरौँ_उत्तर_खोजौँ
Introduction to Political Science
OpenStax
OpenStax College (2022)
Displaying 1 of 1 review