The Two-Party System and Duverger’s Law: An Essay on the History of Political Science
The question of political science being an actual science has been asked many times over. William H. Riker ([1940] 1993) in his article “The Two-Party System and Duverger’s Law: An Essay on the History of Political Science,” attempts to explore this question. He provides a definition of science stating that it is the “accumulation of knowledge” in the form of more or less verifiable propositions about the natural world” (Riker [1940] 1993, 345). He uses Duverger’s law to showcase the gradual “accumulation of knowledge” in political science. He traces the history of the idea through the creation of Duverger’s law where it was clarified further. He discusses
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I am not sure that political scientists, or the American public, would be convinced that the “accumulation of knowledge” alone constitutes science. In my opinion, this is exemplified by the terms hard and soft science. Hard and soft science rely on the scientific method and the “accumulation of knowledge.” The difference between the two lies in precision and objectivity. Political science does use the scientific method and has seen improvements in methodology which has increased precision in the field. Yet, I am not sure that it is possible for the political scientist to divorce themselves completely from their biases. These biases can affect the objectivity of the study. Political science being a so called soft science makes me rethink the idea that political science is a science. Soft science seems to be a lesser science, or maybe even a non-science. In reality, I think that political science is absolutely scientific, but I am not sold on the concept that it is science. I would have liked to have seen Riker ([1940] 1993) address these concerns more fully as this seems to be a more difficult question with bigger implications for how the field is viewed, than the simple idea of the “accumulation of …show more content…
It was especially discussed as being relevant to the professionalization of the field. Professionalism in the field has been seen to have positive and negative consequences (Farr and Siedelman 1993). For example, in the article “Political Science Mid-Century,” Leonard D. White (White [1950] 1993) discusses professionalization throughout the 1900 through 1950. Stating that through this process political science gained a multitude of more individuals invested in the subject and including themselves in the field of political science. Additionally, it led to the emergence of political science associations which allowed for professionals to come together to work on political issues (White [1950] 1993). However, in the article “The Bias of American Political Science”, Benjamin E. Lippencott ([1940] 1993) discusses the hierarchy of the new professional field of political science as hindering political scientists. They are, in his opinion, tied to career and funding opportunities that may cause them to be hyper conscious of what they publish, and how much they publish. Political scientists had to be careful to not publish controversial work at times as it could lead to them becoming unemployable. Also, they had to be mindful of meet publishing quotas which could potentially decrease the quality of the work (Lippincott [1940] 1993). This relates back to Riker’s article, because the question
When this finding infringes on someone’s lifestyle or corporate interests, the reaction to the discovery becomes unfavorable. A contributing factor to the rejection of scientific findings is directly related to political affiliation. Since the 1970s, conservatives have experienced a continuous decay of trust in the scientific community. By 2010, the contrasting trust in the scientific community has become more evident, with liberals retaining more trust in them and conservatives reducing theirs. Climate science has contributed greatly to this conflict.
This can take a turn for the worse: if scientists have to have their work follow what politics, religions, and people believe, we might limit what science stands for. Religion and politics should never have control over science, instead they should use science to help explain their own goals. Science should be used as a way to challenge old beliefs and help clear out fact from fiction. At the same time though, science should challenge itself so it can stay true to its main point of challenging old dogmas, as Carl Sagan said in his article.
In this essay, I will explain why Texas should retain the partisan election of judges. Texas is one of the few states that elect their judges using a Partisan voting method. Partisan elections can be unfair and can misinform the voter. A high legal position such as a judge should never be chosen in such a manner. Partisan elections often cost more than nonpartisan elections in campaigning. Partisan elections are also more likely to lead to straight ticket voting or mindless voting. Partisan elections also lead to more campaign contributions and can increase the power of constituencies. Lastly partisan elections can cause an imbalance in equal represent the population. Therefore, Partisanship voting does not belong in the courts of Texas and
Throughout the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, millions of viewers tuned into ‘The West Wing’ once a week to watch the government-theme series unravel. Aaron Sorkin, the creator of ‘The West Wing’, diligently crafted a TV series focused on the way the United States government functions as a whole. Indeed, the show served as a brilliant entertainment experience but unfortunately portrays the government as something it is not: friendly and simplified. This paper will discuss the role of ‘The West Wing’ in modern political science education as well as how the show incorrectly represented the government system while providing a solution to its inadequacy.
The American Academy of Political and Social Science The Annals of The American Academy of Political and Social Science,(2013)
The United States, comprised of much political diversity, has only two major political parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Republican Party was founded by anti-slavery activists on March 20th, 1854, and is represented by its mascot, the elephant. Often referred to as the “Grand Old Party”, or GOP, Republicans favor customs that exude traditional Christian values with a platform based on American Conservatism. As a Christian myself, the values I share with Republican ideals are a main reason I side with the Republican Party.
Political science first emerged as an academic discipline towards the end of the 19th century and mainly focused on formal institutions, structures and organizations within government (Theodore Rosenhof, 1). However, at the mark of the 1920’s this approach towards institutions began to be revised. Soon a behavioral approach towards government surfaced which focused on electoral patterns and voting behavior (Theodore Rosenhof, 1). In using this approach, many academics recognized an alarming amount of movements and change across the state; resulting in a dynamic, rather than a stagnant, political network. These establishments and generalizations made by academics eventually culminated in what is presently known as the realignment theory (Theodore
Richard Hofstadter, The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It (New York: Random House Publishing, 1973).
Danziger, James N. Understanding the Political World: A Comparative Introduction to Political Science. New Jersey: Pearson, 2013. Print.
During the second half of the past century the notion that, political science should be treated as a science became extremely popular among academics specially in the United States. One of the most prominent exposers of this school of thought was Anthony Downs, who developed a theorem to explain in a rather economic sense, how and why voters behave in a certain way when it comes to voting. Downs did not only applied his theory to the way voters behave, he also used it to explain the way political parties align themselves when it comes to elections in a two and a multiparty system nevertheless this essay will analyze Downs’ claims about a two party system only. This essay argues that the Downs’ model has proven to be accurate in many cases throughout history, nevertheless it makes a series of assumptions about voters and parties that can not be considered realistic neither in 1957, when he published his paper An Economic Theory of Political Action in Democracy in 1957 nor in 2013. This essay also acknowledges that fact that this theory might help to explain how parties behave but it is by no means the only explanation. Furthermore this essay will prove that it is a multiplicity of factors rather than an economic theory what can help us understand why parties behave the way they do. In order to support the argument previously stated this essay will state and critically analyze a number of Downs assumptions, then his theory will be outlined. Then it will carefully consider how effective it has been at predicting the way in which parties align themselves by examining the behavior of political parties during general elections in different countries.
Grace Abbott, Ph.D., Ph.D. Political Science 1909 [SSA Centennial Celebration Profiles of Distinction Series]. n.d. - n.d. - n.d. Chicago/SSA/Centenial - a. Retrieved March 6, 2011, from The University of Chicago website: http://ssacentennial.uchicago.edu/features/features-abbott-grace.shtml. Lifson. a.
Hofstadter, Richard. The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It. New York: Vintage, 1989.
Shapiro, Ian, Rogers M. Smith, and Tarek E. Masoud, eds. Problems and Methods in the Study of Politics. Cambridge ; Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Jones, W. T. Masters of Political Thought. Ed. Edward, McChesner, and Sait. Vol. 2. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1947.
...ific arguments. Second, because of their willingness to contact their representatives and make their voices heard, special interest groups target members of the attentive public, providing all the more reason that they be well informed on public policy issues (see Miller, 1983). To this end, one only needs to look at the staggeringly low numbers for evolutionary literacy in the United States, or the recent spike in measles and meningitis brought about by the scientifically unfounded anti-vaccination movement for an example of the damage scientific illiteracy has on the larger society. In this context, it is evident that higher levels of scientific literacy would tend to increase support for science and provide the public with a more realistic expectation of science and its capabilities.