Politics At A Glance
Politics is the structured system of social power relations among people, including the distribution of status or assets, or the allocation of public resources. The branch of social sciences that studies government and politics is called political science. In the United States, politics is a crucial policy arena affecting every citizen through their voting participation. Politics is an important branch of American social studies and politics plays a pivotal role in the US government.
Politics and policymaking are interwoven together. A country’s politics can be described by the policies it pursues, the men who formulated those policies, the people who live under those polices, and the institutions that support both the government and the political parties. It is believed that politics influences the life of people living in a country. A politically healthy society is one in which the government and political parties successfully pursue the public good in the manner that the polity decides for it.
In United States, political theory deals with the nature and purposes of government. The major focus of political theory deals with determining how political institutions can co-exist with other existing institutions and how those institutions affect each other. It also examines the nature and quality of representative government. As such political theory deals with the philosophy behind civic action. The elements of deliberative, popular, and deliberative government form the basis of political theory.
One major aspect of political theory deals with the idea of the common good. The common good is what all citizens want, what all groups need, and that all individuals have a right to obtain. In short, a good polity is one in which all citizens have equal rights and responsibilities. In order to establish the common good, politics must be responsive to the wants of voters. Answering the question type questions in political theory classifies the polity into various classes.
All politicians must continually differentiate themselves from each other and the voters. The distinguishing features of politicians helps determine their standing with respect to their fellow citizens. As such, all politicians are keen to emphasize their differences from each other and what they stand for in order to separate themselves from the other politicians.
Politics is not primarily an intellectual game; however, some philosophers and social scientists argue that it is primarily an intellectual game. In other words, politicians choose how to talk and formulate their speeches to win people’s votes. Politicians therefore base their beliefs and arguments on what people living in their area of jurisdiction believe. They base their political beliefs on the factual evidence available to them, as well as their interpretation of certain trends in the society.
Studying politics can lead to several career options. The best-known career option is public policy. There are many other interesting and rewarding options in the political science curriculum. One of these options is international relations, which is the study of politics and international relations. International relations is closely related to politics; however, the two institutions share a number of common characteristics. Both of them require strong academic interests in political science, sociology, international communication, and the history of international relations.
Studying politics at the graduate level has several attractive benefits. Graduates have better opportunities for a promising career in politics. They also have better chances for developing a research career in politics, as they are frequently exposed to real-life situations during their research and teaching. As such, all political scientists study politics at an undergraduate level. Although they may face more restrictions when applying for university positions, graduate school positions are usually available and a graduate degree can help in finding a rewarding job in politics.