Political Science is the study of governments, public policies and political processes, systems, and political behavior. Political science sub-fields include comparative politics, international relations, political economy, public administration, public policy, and political theory.
Political scientists typically work in academia (researching and teaching), government (advising policymakers), or think tanks (conducting research and analysis). They may also work as consultants to businesses or non-profit organizations. Many people with a background in political science go on to careers in law, journalism, or business.
Comparative politics is the study of different systems of government around the world. It includes research on how these systems originated, how they function, and how they differ from one another. Comparative politics also looks at the impact that international forces have on domesticpolitics.
International relations is the study of relationships between countries. It focuses on topics such as war, diplomacy, trade agreements, international organizations like the United Nations, and global issues such as human rights and environmental protection. Political economists study how economic factors influence government decision-making and vice versa. They may also look at how economic inequality affects things like voting patterns or access to education and health care services. Public administration encompasses everything that government agencies do – from issuing passports to collecting taxes to providing social welfare benefits. It includes both the management of these day-to-day operations as well as the development of policies that guide those operations. Public policy refers to decisions made by governments about what kind of action to take on issues like crime control or environmental regulations. Political theory is concerned with big questions about the nature of democracy, justice,, liberty,, equality,, power,, authority,, etc .
People who study political science are interested in understanding and explaining important features of complex societies—such as why some countries are stable while others are not; why some countries are wealthy while others are poor; why democracies sometimes flourish while other times they fail;and whether globalization is eroding traditional forms of social cohesionor providing new opportunities for cooperation among people around the world