Outline of political science

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to politics and political science:

Politics – the exercise of power; process by which groups of people make collective decisions. Politics is the art or science of running governmental or state affairs (including behavior within civil governments), institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the corporate, academic, and religious segments of society.

Political science – the field concerning the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior.

Fields of study of political science

Comparative politics
- Democratization
- Polarization
- Politicization
- Multi-level governance
- see § Electoral systems and § Political institutions
Development studies
Geopolitics and political geography
- Area studies
- Globalization studies
Gender and politics
Institutional theory
- New institutionalism
International relations
- Security studies
  - Critical security studies
  - Copenhagen School
  - Paris school
  - Welsh school
Nationalism studies
- Banal nationalism
- Diaspora politics
- Irredentism
- Nationalism and gender
- Nationalist historiography
- Postnationalism
- Revanchism
Political behavior
- Political activism
  - Political movement
Political economy
Political fiction
- Political satire
Political research methodology
Political sociology
Political theory and philosophy
- Political spectrum
  - Left–right political spectrum
Positive political theory
- Game theory
Postcolonialism
Psephology – study of elections
- Voting theory
- see § Electoral systems
Policy analysis and Policy studies
- Foreign policy analysis
- Public administration and local government studies
- Public law
Strategic studies

Related disciplines

Anthropology
- Political anthropology
Economics
- Political economy
Geography
- Political geography
History
- Political history
Jurisprudence
- Constitutional law
- International legal theory
- Political jurisprudence
Philosophy
- Ethics
- Political philosophy
Psychology
- Political psychology
Sociology
- Political sociology

Political theory

Anarchist schools of thought hold that all forms of hierarchy and authority are illegitimate.
- Social anarchism views individual freedom as interrelated with mutual aid.
- Individualist anarchism
Democratic theory
- Athenian democracy a form of Greek democracy in which free male citizens had a direct vote on all government actions.
- Republicanism a strain of political thought which was common among the city-states of the Italian Renaissance, such as the Republic of Venice.
- Representative democracy
- Direct democracy
  - Initiative
  - Referendum
- Radical democracy
  - Deliberative democracy
  - Participatory democracy
- Liberal democracy
- Illiberal democracy
International relations theory
- Power in international relations
- Realism in international relations
  - Neorealism (international relations)
- Idealism in international relations
  - Liberalism (international relations)
  - Neoliberalism (international relations)
- Marxist international relations theory
- Functionalism in international relations
- Critical international relations theory
Majoritarianism
Marxist schools of thought
- Marxism-Leninism
- Maoism
- Trotskyism
- Left communism
- Anti-revisionism
- Western Marxism
  - Structural Marxism
  - Neo-Marxism
  - The Frankfurt School
  - Autonomism
  - Analytical Marxism
  - Marxist Humanism
  - Marxist feminism
  - Post-Marxism
Metapolitics
Peace and conflict studies
- Democratic peace theory
- Power transition theory
- Hegemonic stability theory
Political geography
Political symbolism
Postcolonialism
- Decoloniality
  - Blue water thesis
- Three-world model
  - Third-Worldism
Theories of state
- Consent of the governed
  - Social contract
  - Secession
  - Right of rebellion
- Form of government
- Islamic state
- Nationalism
- Patriotism
- Sovereignty

Decision-making

Election

Electoral systems
- Plurality voting allows each voter to vote for a single candidate, with the candidate with most votes being the winner. It is often combined with single-member districts, resulting in a majoritarian democracy.
  - Cardinal voting systems
    - Approval voting
    - Satisfaction approval voting
    - Majority judgment
    - STAR voting
  - First-past-the-post voting
  - Single non-transferable vote
  - Limited voting
  - Plurality-at-large voting
  - General ticket
- Proportional representation ensures that proportions of representation allocated in the elected body reflect their proportions of support among the electorate. Often combined with multi-member districts to produce consensus democracy.
  - Party-list proportional representation
    - proportionality measures
- Mixed electoral systems
  - Mixed-member proportional representation
  - Parallel voting
  - Scorporo
  - Majority bonus system
  - Alternative vote plus
  - Dual-member proportional representation
  - Rural-urban proportional representation
Suffrage
- Disfranchisement
- Right of foreigners to vote
- Right of expatriates to vote in their country of origin
- Youth suffrage
  - Age of candidacy
  - Demeny voting
- Wasted vote
Voting
- Compulsory voting
- Electronic voting
- None of the above
- Secret ballot
Game theory
Political campaign
Political communications
Political qualifications

Order of succession

Primogeniture

Sortition

Citizens' assembly

Political institutions

Government

Government
Legitimacy
Authority
- Tripartite classification of authority
  - Traditional authority
  - Charismatic authority
  - Rational-legal authority
Rule of law
Constitution
State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory.
- Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country.
  - Microstate, a sovereign state having a very small population or land area, usually both.
  - Multinational state, sovereign entity that comprises two or more nations or states.
- Nation state, a state where the majority identify with a single nation (with shared culture or ethnic group)
- Constituent state, a political subdivision of a state.
- Federated state, constituent states part of a federation.
- Fragile state, characterized by weak state capacity or weak state legitimacy leaving citizens vulnerable.
- Failed state, a state which has lost its ability to fulfill fundamental security and development functions, lacking effective control over its territory and borders.
- Vassal state, any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire.
- Buffer state, a country geographically lying between two rival or potentially hostile great powers.
- Stateless nation, an ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own sovereign state.

Branches of government

The separation of powers is typically set in the constitution or basic law in order to achieve checks and balances within government. The typical model has three branches, and is referred to as the trias politica.

Legislature, deliberates and passes laws.
- Unicameralism
- Bicameralism
  - Upper house
  - Lower house
- Tricameralism
- Tetracameralism
- Multicameralism
Executive, executes laws.
- Head of state, formal, often symbolic, leader of state. Sometimes has veto power over proposed legislation.
  - Monarch
  - President
- Head of government, the person(s) in charge of day-to-day affairs of the state. Usually heads a cabinet, a Council of Ministers or a Council of State.
  - Chancellor
  - Chief executive
  - Chief minister
  - First minister
  - Premier
  - Prime minister
Judiciary, often involved in politics through judicial review.
- Supreme court
- Constitutional court

Political parties

Party systems
- Nonpartisan democracy
- One-party state
- Dominant-party system
- Two-party system
- Multi-party system
- Effective number of parties
- Party discipline
- Political factions
Party coalition governments
- Hung parliament
- Confidence and supply
- Minority government
- Rainbow coalition
- Grand coalition
- National unity government
- Majority government

Political behavior

Theories of political behaviour

Political culture
- Civic political culture
- Parochial political culture
- Patrimonialism, a political culture which sees no difference between personal and political power.
  - Neopatrimonialism
  - Prebendalism
Peace and conflict studies
- Aggressionism
- Greed versus grievance
Political psychology
- Impressionable years hypothesis
- Postmaterialism
- Right-Wing Authoritarianism
- Social Dominance Orientation
- System Justification Theory

Political strategy

Accelerationism
Political campaigning
- Campaign advertising
- Campaign finance
- Campaign management tools
- Canvassing
- Grassroots fundraising
- Smear campaign
- Opposition research
- Push poll
- Retail politics
Power politics
- Balance of power
- Bandwagoning
- Blackmail
- Brinkmanship
- Buck passing
- Coercion
- Hard power
- Sharp power
- Soft power
- Smart power
- Power projection
- Power vacuum
- Realpolitik
Cloward–Piven strategy
- Starve the beast
Propaganda
- Disinformation
- Fearmongering
- Framing
- Indoctrination
- Loaded language
- Lying press
- National mythology
- Rally 'round the flag effect

Voting behavior

Abstention
Abstentionism
- Election boycott
Economic voting
Altruism theory of voting
Coattail effect
Split-ticket voting
- Straight-ticket voting
Tactical voting
- Vote pairing
Paradox of voting
Protest vote
- Spoilt vote
- Voter apathy

Political dysfunction

Political conflict
- Civil disobedience
  - Boycott
  - Demonstration
  - Nonviolence
  - Picketing
  - Strike action
  - Tax resistance
- Civil war
  - Wars of national liberation
- Insurgency
  - Asymmetric warfare
  - Assassination
  - Guerrilla warfare
- Law of war
  - International criminal law
  - Just war theory
  - War crime
- Revolution
  - Bourgeois revolution
  - Communist revolution
  - Democratic revolution
  - Nonviolent revolution
  - Social revolution
  - Political revolution (Trotskyism)
  - Vanguardism
  - World revolution
- Terrorism
  - Nationalist-separatist terrorism
  - Propaganda of the deed
  - Religious extremist terrorism
  - Right-wing terrorism
  - Left-wing terrorism
Political corruption
- Bribery
- Cronyism
- Economics of corruption
- Nepotism
- Political patronage
  - Clientelism
  - Earmark
  - Political machine
  - Pork barrel
  - Slush fund
  - Spoils system

Types of polities and forms of government

By level of social organisation

Traditional authority, political society which has not gone through state formation.
- Band society
- Big man
- Chiefdom
- Empire (before New Imperialism).
Local government
Unitary state (Unitarism)
- City-state
- Nation state
Federalism
- Confederation
- Federation
Regional integration
- Intergovernmental organization
- Supranational union
  - European Union (European studies)
- Trade bloc
Global governance
- World state

By formal power structure

Feudalism
- Chinese feudalism
- Indian feudalism
Monarchy/Diarchy
- Absolute monarchy
- Constitutional monarchy
- Elective monarchy
- Federal monarchy
Republic
- Parliamentary system
  - Westminster system
- Presidential system
  - Semi-presidential system
  - President for life

By source of power

Autocracy, the source of power is the leader.
Democracy, the source of power are the people through popular sovereignty.
Ethnocracy, the source of power is ethnicity.
Meritocracy, the source of power is talent.
- Noocracy, talent is measured by wisdom.
- Technocracy, talent is measured by expertise.
Stratocracy, the source of power is the military.
- Military dictatorship
- Military junta
Theocracy, the source of power is God(s).
- Christian republic
- Halachic state
- Hindu nation
- Islamic state
Oligarchy, the source of power is the elite.
- Aristocracy, the elite are hereditary.
- Gerontocracy, the elite are the elderly.
Plutocracy, the source of power is wealth.

Political ideologies and philosophies

Authoritarianism
- Absolutism
- Totalitarianism
Left-wing politics, usually focused on increasing egalitarianism.
- Far-left politics
  - Anarchism
  - Communism
    - Autonomism
    - Dengism
    - Leninism
    - Maoism
    - Marxism–Leninism
    - Stalinism
    - Titoism
    - Trotskyism
- Socialism
  - Agrarian socialism
  - Democratic socialism
  - Liberal socialism
  - Libertarian socialism
  - Market socialism
  - Marxist socialism (Scientific)
  - Religious socialism
  - Scientific socialism
  - Social democracy
- Centre-left politics
  - Gradualism
  - Progressivism
  - Reformism
- Green politics
  - Green anarchism
  - Ecofeminism
  - Eco-socialism
Centrism, usually defined by highly pragmatic politics.
- Radical centrism
- Syncretic politics
- Third Position
- Third Way
Liberalism, defined by high valuing of liberty.
- Classical liberalism
- Conservative liberalism
- Neoliberalism
- Social liberalism
- Modern liberalism (in the United States)
Right-libertarianism, often defined as high valuation of private property
- Paleolibertarianism
- Minarchism
- Anarcho-capitalism
Right-wing politics, often defined by opposition to social change, and a veneration of tradition.
- Centre-right politics
  - Christian democracy
  - Compassionate conservatism
  - Liberal conservatism
  - One-nation conservatism
  - Progressive conservatism
- Conservatism
  - Fiscal conservatism
  - Fusionism
  - Libertarian conservatism
  - National conservatism
  - Neoconservatism
  - Paleoconservatism
  - Social conservatism
  - Traditional conservatism
- Far-right politics, political ideas which are described as reactionary, ultranationalist, chauvinistic, xenophobic or racist.
  - Alt-right
  - Fascism
  - Nazism
Identity politics, political ideologies concerned with the interests of the members of a specific group.
- Black power
- Feminism
- Gay pride
- Indigenism
- Islamism
- Nationalism, based on the centrality of the nation.
  - Civic nationalism
  - Ethnic nationalism
  - Expansionist nationalism
  - Irredentism
  - Pan-nationalism
  - Racial nationalism
  - Left-wing nationalism
  - Liberal nationalism
  - Territorial nationalism
  - Secessionism
- Zionism
Environmentalism

Governments of the world

Political issues and policies

Rights

Animal rights
Civil and political rights, usually related to topics of negative liberty.
- Freedom of assembly
- Freedom of association
- Right to asylum
- Freedom from discrimination
- Freedom of education
- Freedom of information
- Freedom of movement
- Freedom of speech
- Freedom of the press
- Freedom of thought
- Right to petition
- Right to protest
- Right to property
- Freedom of religion
- Right to life
Economic, social and cultural rights, usually cover issues of positive liberty.
- Digital rights
- Labor rights
  - Equal pay for equal work
- Right to an adequate standard of living
- Right to clothing
- Right to development
- Right to education
- Right to food
- Right to health
- Right to housing
- Right to Internet access
- Right to science and culture
- Right to social security
- Right to water
- Right to work
LGBT rights
Minority rights
- Affirmative action
Women's rights
- Abortion law

Economic policy

Agricultural policy
- Agricultural subsidy
- Land reform
Energy policy
- Nuclear energy policy
- Renewable energy policy
Fiscal policy
- Budgetary policy
Industrial policy
- Import substitution industrialization
Investment policy
- Sovereign wealth fund
Monetary policy
- Capital requirement
- Central bank
- Contractionary monetary policy
- Expansionary monetary policy
Tax policy
- Internet taxation
- Tax cut
- Tax competition
- Tax holiday
- Tax reform
  - Flat tax
  - Tax harmonization

Foreign and security policy

Arms control
- Nuclear disarmament
  - Nuclear-free zone
  - Nuclear nonproliferation
Criminal justice
- Capital punishment
- Life imprisonment
- Mandatory sentencing
Space policy
- Extraterrestrial real estate
- Militarization of space
  - Space force
Counter-terrorism
- Anti-terrorism legislation
International Trade
Military policy
- Military recruitment
  - Conscription
- Military-industrial complex

Social policy

Cultural policy
- Arts council
Environmental policy
- Climate change policy
- Fisheries management
Drug policy
- Drug decriminalization
- Drug policy reform
- Harm reduction
- Legality of cannabis
- Legal status of cocaine
- Legal drinking age
- Legal status of methamphetamine
- Legal status of psilocybin mushrooms
- Legal status of Salvia divinorum
Education policy and reform
- Education reform
Immigration
- Family reunification
- Immigration equality
- Immigration of felons
- Immigration law
- Immigration reform
- Open border
- Permanent residency
- Work permit
Race relations
- Affirmative action
- Institutional racism
- Racial profiling
- White privilege
Religion and politics
- Separation of church and state
Health policy
- Legality of euthanasia
- Stem cell controversy
- Universal healthcare
- Health care reform
Welfare state
- Guaranteed minimum income
- Job guarantee
- Welfare reform
- Unemployment benefits
- Universal Basic Income
- Workfare

Politics by continent

Foreign relations by continents

Political parties by continent

History of politics

History of political science
History of political thinking
Political history
- List of years in politics

Political scholars

List of political scientists
List of political philosophers
- List of social and political philosophers
List of political theorists

Influential literature

The Art of War – by Sun Tsu (c. 544–496 BC)
History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides (c. 460 – c. 400 BC)
The Republic and Laws – by Plato (427–347 BC)
The Politics and Nicomachean Ethics – Aristotle (384–322 BC)
Arthashastra – Chāṇakya (c. 350–283 BC)
Meditations – Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161–180 CE
The Prince – by Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527)
The Book of Five Rings – Miyamoto Musashi (c. 1584––1645)
Leviathan – Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679)
The Wealth of Nations – by Adam Smith (1723–1790)
On War – by Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831)
The Communist Manifesto – by Karl Marx (1818–1883)
A Theory of Justice – by John Rawls (1921-2002)