ABSTRACT

Comparative politics is a specific sphere of human activity in which the differences of social
Groups, nations, and classes are reflected. A core of politics is the problem of gaining and
holding of state power. Politics, like any other science, exploits different methodologies. It
can be studies on the basis of Marxism or Socialism, historical approach or Legalistic one.
The understanding of political phenomenon depends on the set of interrelated concepts to
interpret the world. These concepts are not objective realities but analytical tools. That is
Why do researchers give great attention to the assumptions that underlie their approach to?

the subjects. It also matters a great deal whether to see politics as mainly concerned with
the activities of a few people, or as receiving its force from the needs of the masses. Any
The approach is aimed to emphasize some specific aspects of a phenomenon. Argument:

Behavioralism is a methodological approach which helps to understand politics through

Concepts of natural science avoiding concepts which cannot be quantified. This approach is
essential for comparative politics as it helps to analyze political processes, which cannot be

discovered and analyzed by other methodological approaches such as neoliberalism or

realism.
 INTRODUCTION

Behavioralism is considered a contemporary approach to the study of political science.

But this approach emerged during the 20th century. An important consideration of
Behaviorism has been the study of political behavior, as an area of study within Political.
Science. It concentrates on the individual as interactor, leader, revolutionary, party member.
and the influences of the group or the political system on the individual's political

Behavior. Behavioralism is quite different from behaviorism. Behaviorism is narrow in

its application. It refers to the response of an organism as aroused by some stimulus. It does
Do not consider the role of the feelings, ideas, prejudices that determine the response of that.
individual. Behavioralism does not take into account the role of the feelings, ideas and
prejudices. Daiid Easton differentiates between behaviorism and behavioralism through
an example. The paradigm adopted by behaviorists, according to him is S-R (Stimulus-Response)

Response). But the behavioral lists have improved it by making it as S-O-R (Stimulus-
Organism-Response). Daiid Easton regards behavioral revolutions as intellectual
tendency on the part of the political scientists to empirically study the political behavior of
persons.
 Comparative Politics and its Scientific approach

Behavioralism stresses scientific, objective and value-free study of political occurrences.

As conditioned by the environment, firmly the behavior of the individuals involved in that.

phenomena. As such, it focuses on the role of the behavior of the individual at various
Behavioralism is the development of method against the scientific analysis.
traditional political science which did not take into account human behavior as an actor
in politics.

Striking Features of Behavioralism:

Daiid Easton has described certain key features of behavioralism which are regarded as its
intellectual foundations. These are:

1. Regularities: This approach believes that there are certain consistencies in political
behavior that can be expressed in generalizations or theories in order to elucidate
and predict political phenomena. In a particular situation, the political behavior of
Individuals may be more or less similar. Such regularities of behavior may help the
researcher to analyze a political situation as well as to predict the future political
phenomena. The study of such regularities makes Political Science more scientific with

some predictive value.

2. Verification: The behavioralists do not want to accept everything as established.
Therefore, they are stress testing and verifying everything. According to them, if
Phenomenon is not identified then it will not be scientific.

3. Techniques: The behavioralists emphasize the use of those research tools and
methods which generate valid, reliable and comparable data. A researcher must
make use of refined tools like sample surveys, mathematical models, simulation.
4. Quantification: After collecting data, the researcher should measure and quantify

those data.
5. Values: The behavioralists have emphasized the separation of facts from values.
They believe that to do objective research, one has to be value-free. It means that
The researcher should not have any preconceived ideas or a prejudiced view.
 6. Systematization: According to the behavioralists, research in Political Science must
Be systematic. Theory and research should go together.
7. Pure Science: Another feature of behavioralism has been its aim to make Political
Science is a 'pure science'. It believes that the study of Political Science should be
Yesterday verified by evidence.
8. Integration: behavioralists stated that political science should not be detached
from various other social sciences such as history, sociology, and economics. This
The approach denotes that political events are formed by various other factors in the

society and therefore, it would be incorrect to separate Political Science from other
disciplines.

Consequently, with the development of behavioralism, novel thinking and new method of
study were enrolled in the field of Political Science.

Behavioralism was a popular methodological approach developed in the 1950s-1960s.

America. In comparative politics, Behavioralism is connected with: 'individual'
attitudes, personalities, and physical activity, such as lying, criminal behavior,
aggression, etc. and then generalizes to a similar group. Political scientists study
political behavior, noting, for example” (Introduction to Research Methods. 2003). In
General, behavioralism examines the factors affecting imitation and notes that
Behavior is more likely to be copied. Imitating or modeling, as it is called, can be seen.
to be a very important part of the political process. Aspects of the role model’s
behaviour may be incorporated into behaviour patterns and style.

The behavioral approach in comparative politics can be defined by an approach to the

Logic and method of its investigation, and described as a methodology. A study by

Easton (1962 cited Berndtson 2005) "every man puts his own emphasis and thereby
becomes his own behavioralist." According to Seidelman and Harpham (1985 cited
Berndtson 2005) 'attempts at coming to any complete definition of behavioralism are
probably futile given the diversity of those who followed its banner.
It is evident that for behavioralism, an individual's personality, perceptions, motivation-
Tons also play their part in helping or hindering the political process. Political
Experiences, whether positive or negative, impinge upon the rate of the political process.
It should be noted that behavioralism cannot easily explain the natural curiosity that

People have a great desire to learn, to make sense of their environment and to
feel competent in activities. Neither can I explain the extent of incidental political
experience which takes place, whereby individuals have it by chance.

A number of shared assumptions and analytic prescriptions were at the core of the
behavioral moment. According to Eulau (1962 cited Berndtson 2005) 'Behavioralists
I have been eager to demonstrate that the behavioral study of politics can be applied to
all kinds of research areas. Behavioralism in comparative politics tries to generalize
political processes and tries to use statements about patterns and regularities about
political phenomena presumed to hold across time and place. According to
Behavioralism approach, natural sciences are leading a generalizing process. The purpose
of political scientists to discover regular patterns of behavior and find
causes of it. Accordingly, comparative politics should have a statement of the
relationship between two or more variables, specify the conditions under which the
Relationships hold, and explain why the relationships should hold.

New tools for analyzing the political process were developed. An entire generation of

American researchers studied politics on the basis of methodological tools of

behavioralism (Lane, 1997). Some behavioralists addressed empirical questions at the
core of competing ideas about the social and political organization of national
societies, including not just propositions grounded in realism, but Marxist ideas about
the causes and consequences of the inequalities within and between states.

Behavioralism has some limitations (shortcomings) and merits. By concentrating only

One observable behavior, it could be argued that behavioralism is seriously restricted in.

the areas of studies which are particular and special to humans. Individuals have goals
and plans not readily observable which might affect the political process. To analyze

political process, behavioralists inclined comparative cross-national analysis. The

The limitation of this approach is that it does not study particular countries at particular times.
times. On the other hand, behavioralism gathers data about the characteristics of
Nations and provide the analysis of how these nations behaved toward one another.

Consequently, behaviorism generates and encourages comparative and

quantitative study of political thought and political process. "the approach cannot be
limited to areas where the possibility of quantification is immediate” Truman (1951
cited Berndtson 2005).

The merit of the behavioralism approach is that it does not depend upon controlled

comparative techniques and quantitative analyses as 'its temperament toward

inquiry. Behavioralism needs greater strictness and accuracy in analysis.
Behaviorists tried to replace subjective belief with demonstrable knowledge, 'to
supplant impressionism and intuition with testable evidence, and to substitute data
and reproducible information for mere opinion” (Ponton, Peter, 1993). In this sense,
Behavioralists hold idealism’s “high regard for modern science” and its “attacks against
superstition and authority” (Ponton, Peter, 1993).

The limitations of this approach is that it 'threatens to reduce the discipline of political

analysis to little more than the study of iotng and the behavior of legislatures
(Behavioralism, 2005). In contrast to this, the merit of the behavioralism approach is that
A virtual obsession with the observation of data, although providing interesting
Findings in these fields deprive the field of politics of other important viewpoints.
(Behavioralism, 2005). Behavioralists try to acquire knowledge and build on it.
cumulatively by suspending judgment in claims about truth until sufficient evidence
could support them. Behavioralists seek to conduct objective or value-free research. It
It is very important, as they try to replace ambiguous verbal definitions of traditional
political concepts with so-called 'operational' ones built on indicators on which
empirical tests could be conducted and whose meaning was easily communicated from
one analyst to the next. Other methodologies do not allow providing this type of
analysis.
Another merit of behavioralism is the possibility to avoid previous studies and researches.
to select facts and cases to make them fit previous events. All available data, those not
supportive of as well as those consistent with existing theoretical hypotheses, are to
be analyzed. The merit means that knowledge would advance best if a careful,
A skeptical attitude toward any empirical statements was assumed. The main argument
of behavioralists to seek some evidence, but questioned it. (Ponton, Peter, 1993).
According to Berndtson (2005), 'The essence of behavioralist methodology seems to...
has been in many cases only a systematic analysis of facts. The merit is that findings
of behavioralism are historically accurate but irrelevant to present-day political
analysis.

The limitation of this approach is the 'Value Free' concept. Opponents argue that 'this is

impossible because every theory is tainted with an ideological premise that led to its
formation in the first place and subsequently the observable facts are studied for a
reason” (Behavioralism, 2005). Other limitations are: behavioralists became
preoccupied with method to the exclusion of real-world problems; behavioralists
focused on interesting facts or processes accessible ignoring political process as
A whole; behaviorists tried to base theories on hard data and relied on past patterns.
of human experience, but most of this did not reflect changing political processes and
made it impossible to predict the future development.

An example of 'value bias' is that 'through this discipline the term 'democracy' has
become the competition between elites for election 'a la' the western conception
rather than an essentially contested term concerning literally rule by the people
demos). In this manner, behaviorism is inherently biased and reduces the scope of
political analysis (Behavioralism 2005).

Arguably, the behavioralism enhanced knowledge of processes and their theories is

capable of explaining many simple political situations. But, by themselves, they are not
able to account for the complexity of differing situations that society faces nor for the

A variety of responses given. Critics state that the behavioralism approach 'relates very...'
Closely related to the quantitative fallacy is false quantification. When a researcher does go to
Study national pride, they might measure it wrong. What if their variable actually
measures opinion of the leader rather than the nation; perhaps the death of that
leader could still tear the nation apart, while the research shows that solidarity will

preiail” (Behavioralism’s Critics, 2005).

Negative reinforcement was also shown to be powerful because analyses were still
concerned with the Stimulus-Response bond. Because of this scientific basis, however,
Behavioralism is a mere science. It is not a new way of looking at the past, at the
Meaning of life, of the world, of thought. As a system of life, behavioralism is not real.
(Ponton, Peter, 1993).

Behavioralism addresses the moral issues which are central to the differences between
realism and idealism, its relative neglect of many of the ethical questions raised in a
The world of poverty, hunger, violence, and other forms of malaise was also criticized.
In mind the weak points of behavioralism, it is evident that it cannot be the leading.
approach to study politics. Behavioralism has generally tried to base their own
accounts of Behavioralism as a science on the best available contemporary knowledge,
while at the same time remaining faithful to the essentials of Behavioralism.

CONCLUSION

It is possible to conclude that comparative politics consists of interconnected concepts.

but this understanding depends on a particular methodology and approach
basis of which the concept is explained. Behavioralism approach applied to political
The study has a lot of limitations that do not allow it to be used as a core one, but its merits of
this approach allows overcoming limitations of the other methodologies and provides a
complex and substantial analysis of political processes.
 References

1. Berndtson E. Behavioralism: Origins of the Concept. Available

at: htp://www.ialt.helsinki.fi/iol/tutkimus/julkaisut/ierkko/behaiior.htm
2. Behavioralism Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Available at:
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3. Behavioralism’s
Critics. http://faculty.hope.edu/toppen/pol242/pages/epistemology/topic4.htm
4. Introduction to Research methods. 2003. Available at:
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5. The Art of Comparative Politics
6. Ponton, G., Peter G. Introduction to Politics. 3rd edition. Blackwell Oxford UK
and Cambridge USA. 1993.