Political sociology

Political sociology is the study of how society and politics interact and influence each other. It is a subfield
of sociology and political science that combines research and explanatory factors from both
disciplines. Political sociology is the study of power and the relationship between societies, states, and
political conflict. It is a broad subfield that straddles political science and sociology, with ―macro and
―micro components. The macro focus has centered on questions about nation, states, political
institutions and their development, and the sources of social and political change (especially those
involving large-scale social movements and other forms of collective action). Political sociology lies at the
intersection of the disciplines of political science and sociology. Political sociology is a sub discipline within
the broader framework of sociology. It deals with the social circumstances of politics, that is, how politics
is shaped by and shapes other events in societies. It can be safely called the sociology of politics, because
politics is described only in terms of social factors. Politics is a dependent variable that varies according to
society. In other words, society comes first and politics second. Political Sociology is that branch of
sociology which is concerned with the social causes and consequences of given power distribution within
or between societies, and with the social and political conflicts that lead to changes in the allocation of
power.

According to various socialists, political sociology is,

1. Robert E. Dowse and John Hughes define political sociology in the following way: Political
sociology is the study of the interrelation between politics and society. Society is the pre-
condition of politics; politics takes place when there is society. We do not have politics when there
is no society, and we cannot find a society without politics. The moment society comes to
existence, politics emerges.
2. Satori claims: A real political sociology is, then, a cross-disciplinary breakthrough seeking enlarged
models which reintroduce as variables the givens of each component source. For Satori, such a
clarification would be possible only when the “sociological” and “politico-logical” approaches are
combined at their point of intersection. This point of intersection is the site of interdisciplinary
studies. However, to understand the dynamics of such a site, one must delineate the contours of
the two parent disciplines—political science and sociology.
3. R. Bendix and S. M. Lip set state that ‗political sociology starts with society and examines how it
affects the state.
4. Michael Rush and Phillip Althoff: Political sociology is a subject area which examines the links
between politics and society, between social behavior and political behavior.

POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY: NATURE, SCOPE AND IMPORTANCE

Nature

Political sociology seeks to understand the process of interaction between government and society,
decision-making authorities and conflicting social forces and interests. It is the study of interactions and
linkages between politics and society; between the political system and its social, economic and cultural
environment. It is concerned with problems regarding the management of conflict, the articulation of
interest and issues, and political integration and organization. The focal point in all these concerns is the
independence of the interplay of socio-cultural, economic and political elements. The perspective of
political sociology is distinguished from that of institutionalism and behaviouralism. The institutionalisms
have been concerned primarily with institutional types of political organization, and their study has been
characterized by legality and formality. The behavioral lists have focused on the individual actor in the
political arena; and their central concern has been the psychological trait, namely, motives, attitudes,
perception and the role of individuals. The task of political sociologists is to study the political process as
a continuum of interactions between society and its decision-makers, and between decision-making
institutions and social forces.

Scope

The scope of political sociology is broad, reflecting on the wide interest in how power and oppression
operate over and within social and political areas in society. Although diverse, some major themes of
interest for political sociology include:

1. Understanding the dynamics of how the state and society exercise and contest power (e.g. power
structures, authority, social inequality).

2. How political values and behaviours shape society and how society's values and behaviours shape
politics (e.g. public opinion, ideologies, social movements).

3. How these operate across formal and informal areas of politics and society (e.g. ministerial
cabinet vs. family home).

4. How socio-political cultures and identities change over time.

In other words, political sociology is concerned with how social trends, dynamics, and structures of
domination affect formal political processes alongside social forces working together to create change.
From this perspective, we can identify three major theoretical frameworks: pluralism, elite or managerial
theory, and class analysis, which overlaps with Marxist analysis.

Pluralism sees politics primarily as a contest among competing interest groups. Elite or managerial
theory is sometimes called a state-centered approach. It explains what the state does by looking at
constraints from organizational structure, semi-autonomous state managers, and interests that arise from
the state as a unique, power-concentrating organization. A leading representative is Theda Skocpol. Social
class theory analysis emphasizes the political power of capitalist elites. It can be split into two parts: one
is the "power structure" or "instrumentalist" approach, whereas another is the structuralist approach

The broad aim of political sociology is to study and examine the interactions between social and political
structures. The determination of the boundaries of what is social and political, however, raises some
questions. The relevant question in delineating the scope of political sociology is that of the kinds of
groups which form part of the study of the discipline of political sociology. Some scholars believe that
politics depends on some settled order created by the State. Hence, the State is political, and is the subject
matter of political sociology, not the groups. There is another school according to which politics is present
in almost all social relations. Individuals and small groups try to enforce their preferences on their parent
organizations— family, club, or college, and thus indulge in the exercise of power.

Richard G. Braungart has pointed out that political sociologists are concerned with the dynamic
association among and between three things, namely:
1. The social origin of politics

2. The structure of political process

3. The effects of politics on the surrounding society and culture

Political sociology should include four areas, which are as follows:

1. Political structures(social class/caste, elite, interest groups, bureaucracy, political parties and factions)
2. Political life (electoral process, political communication, opinion formation)

3. Political leadership(bases, types and operation of community power structure)

4. Political development(concept and indices of its measurement, its social bases and prerequisites and
its relationship to social change and modernization)

To illustrate, it can be pointed out that, on one hand, sociologists focus their attention on the subareas of
the social system, and political scientists concentrate on the study of law, local, state and national
governments, comparative government, political systems, public administration and international
relations.

Importance

There are four main areas of research that are important in present-day political sociology. They are as
follows:

1.The socio-political formation of the modern state

2. How social inequality between groups(class,race, gender)influences politics.

3. How public personalities,social movements and trends outside of the formal institutions of political
power affect politics

4. Power relationships within and between social groups (families, workplaces, bureaucracy, media)

Behavioral Approaches to Political Sociology

Behavioral approach in political sociology came into being after the emergence of the behavioral sciences.
This approach examines the actions of individuals rather than the characteristics of institutions in social
settings. Behaviouralists used empirical research and strict methodology to authenticate their study. This
approach was important as it changed the purpose of inquiry of social theory. Behaviouralism used a
number of methods such as sampling, interviewing, scoring, scaling and statistical analysis to understand
political behaviour.

What does political sociology study?

• Power: How power is distributed, contested, and impacts different social groups

• Social change: How societies change, and how political, social, and economic systems change
simultaneously
 • Political participation: How people participate in politics, including voting and other forms of
political action

• Social identities: How social identities and groups influence political behavior

• Political institutions: How political institutions develop and change, and why they take the form
they do .

What topics does political sociology cover?

• Nation-states and empires

• The state as a political actor

• Revolutions

• Social movements

• Globalization

• The family

• The mass media

• Universities

• Trade unions