Why Political Science is a science?

Political Science: a social science In other words, political science is a social science. It is a science because a political scientist thinks critically and a political scientist tests and improves explanations, ideas, theories and rules over and over again – including the rules for conducting good research.

How do political scientists analyze human behavior?

To understand political behaviour, behaviouralism uses the following methods: sampling, interviewing, scoring and scaling, and statistical analysis. Behaviouralism studies how individuals behave in group positions realistically rather than how they should behave.

Why are political scientists important?

Political scientists study and explain government and legislative processes so that people can be better informed about policies that impact their communities, states, and the country.

Should scientists and politicians separate?

The creation of policy is by definition a response to a problem or issue in the world as it is. This separation between scientists and politicians is right and sensible.

Should scientists dictate government policy?

There is no suggestion here that scientists should dictate government policy, only that the scientific evidence should serve as valuable input to the political decision-making process and that those making the decisions should make it their business to understand it.

What can scientists teach politicians about context?

Scientists aim, in essence, to remove context from their work. Their results should be as independent of social nuance, and as broadly generalisable, as possible. Politicians, by contrast, must treat context as king: without context, policy-making doesn’t actually make much sense.

Should we cut politicians and scientists a slack?

When politicians or scientists wield their skills, experience and power well, and in ways that align with our values, they should earn our trust. Once they have done so, perhaps we should cut them a little slack. Give them some leeway to act in our interests. And also give them suitable reward.