UPSC Political Science Optional Syllabus for Paper-1

Section A: Political Theory and Indian Politics

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● Political theory: meaning and approaches.
● Theories of the state: Liberal, Neo-liberal, Marxist, Pluralist, Post-colonial and feminist.
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● Justice: Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawl's theory of justice and its communitarian
critiques.
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● Equality: Social, political and economic; the relationship between equality and freedom; Affirmative action.
● Rights: Meaning and theories; different kinds of rights; the concept of Human Rights.
● Democracy: Classical and contemporary theories; different models of democracy-representative,
participatory and deliberative.
● Concept of power: hegemony, ideology and legitimacy.
● Political Ideologies: Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism and Feminism.
● Indian Political Thought: Dharmashastra, Arthashastra and Buddhist traditions; Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri
Aurobindo, M.K. Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, M.N. Roy.
● Western Political Thought: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, John S. Mill, Marx, Gramsci,
Hannah Arend
Section B: Indian Government and Politics
● Indian Nationalism:
● Political Strategies of India's Freedom struggle: constitutionalism to mass Satyagraha, Non-cooperation,
Civil Disobedience; militant and revolutionary movements, Peasant and workers' movements.
● Perspectives on Indian National Movement: Liberal, Socialist and Marxist; Radical humanist and Dalit.
● Making of the Indian Constitution: Legacies of the British rule; different social and political perspectives.
● Salient Features of the Indian Constitution: The Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive
Principles; Parliamentary System and Amendment Procedures; Judicial Review and Basic Structure
doctrine.
● a. Principal Organs of the Union Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive,
Legislature and Supreme Court.
● b. Principal Organs of the State Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive,
Legislature and High Courts.
● Grassroots Democracy: Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; the significance of 73rd and 74th
Amendments; Grassroot movements.
● Statutory Institutions/Commissions: Election Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, Finance
Commission, Union Public Service Commission, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National
Commission for scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Women; National Human Rights Commission,
National Commission for Minorities, National Backward Classes Commission.
● Federalism: Constitutional provisions; changing nature of centre-state relations; integrationist tendencies
and regional aspirations; inter-state disputes.
● Planning and Economic Development: Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; the role of planning and
public sector; Green Revolution, land reforms and agrarian relations; liberalization and economic reforms.
● Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian Politics.
● Party System: National and regional political parties, ideological and social bases of parties; patterns of
coalition politics; Pressure groups, trends in electoral behaviour; changing socio-economic profile of
Legislators.
● Social Movements: Civil liberties and human rights movements; women's movements; environmentalist
movements
UPSC Political Science Optional Syllabus For Paper-2
Section A: Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics
. Comparative Politics: Nature and major approaches; political economy and political sociology
perspectives; limitations of the comparative method.
. State in comparative perspective: Characteristics and changing nature of the State in capitalist and
socialist economies, and, advanced industrial and developing societies.
. Politics of Representation and Participation: Political parties, pressure groups and social movements in
advanced industrial and developing societies.
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. Globalisation: Responses from developed and developing societies.
. Approaches to the Study of International Relations: Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist and Systems
theory.
. Key concepts in International Relations: National interest, Security and power; Balance of power and
deterrence; Transnational actors and collective security; World capitalist economy and globalisation.
. Changing International Political Order:
. (a) Rise of superpowers; strategic and ideological Bipolarity, arms race and Cold War; nuclear threat;
. (b) Non-aligned movement: Aims and achievements;
. (c) Collapse of the Soviet Union; Unipolarity and American hegemony; relevance of non-alignment in
the contemporary world.
. Evolution of the International Economic System: From Bretton woods to WTO; Socialist economies and the
CMEA (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance); Third World demand for new international economic
order; Globalisation of the world economy.
. United Nations: Envisaged role and actual record; specialized UN agencies-aims and functioning; the need
for UN reforms.
. Regionalisation of World Politics: EU, ASEAN, APEC, SAARC, NAFTA.
. Contemporary Global Concerns: Democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice, terrorism, nuclear
proliferation.
Section B: India and the World
. Indian Foreign Policy: Determinants of foreign policy; institutions of policy-making; continuity and change.
. India's Contribution to the Non-Alignment Movement: Different phases; current role.
. India and South Asia:
. Regional Co-operation: SAARC-past performance and future prospects.
. South Asia as a Free Trade Area.
. India's "Look East" policy.
. Impediments to regional co-operation: river water disputes; illegal cross-border migration; ethnic
conflicts and insurgencies; border disputes.
. India and the Global South: Relations with Africa and Latin America; leadership role in the demand for NIEO
and WTO negotiations.
. India and the Global Centres of Power: USA, EU, Japan, China and Russia.
. India and the UN System: Role in UN Peace-keeping; demand for Permanent Seat in the Security Council.
. India and the Nuclear Question: Changing perceptions and policy.
. Recent developments in Indian Foreign policy: India's position on the recent crisis in Afghanistan, Iraq and
West Asia, growing relations with US and Israel; the vision of new world order.