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, 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.
Principles of Government 
= Government and the State =
What is government? 
Government - is a general term which can
be used to refer to public bodies
organizing the political life of the
society. Government can also refer to
the collective head of the executive
branch of power in a polity.
Public policies -
Public taxation
Public defense
Public education
Public transportation
Healthcare
Environment
Civil rights
Working conditions
Legislative power -
Executive power -
Judicial power -
Constitution -
The State 
Four characteristics of a state
Population
Territory
Sovereignty
Government
Major Political Ideas 
Evolutionary Theory -
Social Contract Theory -
Divine Theory - Meritocracy Force theory
The Purpose of Government 
Form a More Perfect Union -
Establish Justice -
Insure Domestic Tranquility -
Provide for the Common Defense -
Promote the General Welfare -
Secure the Blessings of Liberty -
= Forms of government =
Who Can Participate 
Democracy -
Dictatorship -
Autocracy -
Oligarchy -
Geographic Distribution of Power 
Unitary government -
Federal government -
Confederate government -
Relationship Between Legislative and
Executive Powers 
Presidential government -
Parliamentary government -
= Basic Concepts of Democracy =
Foundations 
Popular sovereignty Limited government
Human equality
Democracy and the Free Enterprise System
Free enterprise system -
Law of supply and demand -
Mixed economy -
Origins of American Government 
= Our Political Beginnings =
Basic concepts of Government 
Ordered government
Limited government
Representative government
Landmark English Documents 
Magna Carta
Petition of Right
English Bill of Rights
English Colonies 
Charter
Royal Colonies - New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey,
Virginia, North Carolina, South
Carolina, and Georgia
Council
Bicameralism
Proprietary colonies - Maryland,
Pennsylvania, Delaware
Unicameralism
Charter colonies - Connecticut and Rhode
Island
= The Coming of Independence =
New England Confederation
Albany Plan of Union
Delegate
Boycott
Repeal
Popular sovereignty
Declaration of Independence
= Critical Period =
Articles of Confederation
Ratification
Presiding Officer
= Creating and Ratifying the
Constitution =
Framers of the Constitution -
Virginia Plan -
New Jersey Plan -
Connecticut Compromise -
Three-Fifths Compromise -
Slave Trade Compromise -
Federalists -
Anti-Federalists -
Quorum -
The Constitution 
= Six Basic Principles =
Preamble
Articles
Basic Principles 
Popular Sovereignty
Limited Government
Constitutionalism
Rule of law
Separation of powers
Checks and balances
Veto
Judicial review
Unconstitutional
Federalism
= Formal Amendment =
Legislature 
Chambers
Unicameralism
Multicameralism
Bicameralism
Tricameralism
Tetracameralism
Upper house
Lower house
Parliament
Parliamentary system
Parliamentary group
Member of Parliament
International parliament
Parliamentary procedure
Committee
Quorum
Motion
Types
Congress
City council
The Estates
Legislator -
Committee member -
Trustee -
Delegate -
Partisan -
Politico -
Senator -
Political Philosophies 
Anarchism -
Conservativism -
Liberalism -
Egalitarianism -
Socialism -
Corporatism -
Nazism -
Authoritarianism -
Nationalism -
Totalitarianism -
Fascism -
Federalism – a political concept in
which a group of members are bound
together by covenant with a governing
representative head. The term
"federalism" is also used to describe a
system of the government in which
sovereignty is constitutionally divided
between a central governing authority
and constituent political units.
Federalism is a system based upon
democratic rules and institutions in
which the power to govern is shared
between national and provincial/state
governments, creating what is often
called a federation.
Feudalism -
Minarchism -
Absolutism -
Governments of the World 
Political issues 
Politics by region 
= Foreign relations by region =
= Political parties by region =
History of politics 
History of political science
History of political thinking
Political history
List of years in politics
Political science 
= Fields of study of political science =
Area studies
Coalition studies
Comparative politics
Development studies
Electoral systems and voting theory
Foreign policy analysis
Game theory
Geopolitics and political geography
Globalization studies
Ideology studies
Institutional studies
International relations
Nationalism studies
Policy analysis and Policy studies
Political behaviour
Political economy
Political party analysis
Political psychology
Political theory and philosophy
Political research methodology
Political sociology
Political systems
Psephology – statistical analysis of
voting systems and electoral behavior
Public administration and local
government studies
Public policy studies
Public administration
Public law
Security studies
Strategic studies
Related disciplines 
Philosophy
Ethics
Political philosophy
Social science
Sociology
Political sociology
= Political theory =
International relations theory
Power in international relations
Realism in international relations
Idealism in international relations
Neoliberalism in international relations
Marxist international relations theory
Functionalism in international relations
Critical international relations theory
Metapolitics
Peace and conflict studies
Democratic peace theory
Power transition theory
Hegemonic stability theory
Political geography
Political symbolism
Theories of state
Consent of the governed
Form of government
Islamic state
Nationalism
Patriotism
Sovereignty
= Elections =
Voting systems
Game theory
Political Campaigning
Political communications
Political qualifications
= Political parties =
= Political strategies and tactics =
Bandwagon fallacy
Bandwagon effect
Cloward–Piven strategy
Starve the beast
War
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
The Republic – by Plato
Laws – by Plato
The Politics – Aristotle
Nicomachean Ethics – Aristotle
Arthashastra – Chāṇakya
Meditations – Marcus Aurelius, Roman
Emperor 161–180 CE
The Prince – by Niccolò Machiavelli
The Book of Five Rings – Miyamoto
Musashi
The Wealth of Nations – by Adam Smith
On War – by Carl von Clausewitz
Leviathan – Thomas Hobbes
See also 
Anthropology
Constitutional economics
Debate
Food politics
Government simulation game
Music and politics
Policy
Rule According to Higher Law
Office politics
Official statistics
Organizational politics
Political activism
Political corruption
Political criticism
Political economy
Political fiction
Political movement
Political party
Political power
Political psychology
Political spectrum
Theories of Political Behavior
Further reading 
Roskin, M.; Cord, R. L.; Medeiros, J.
A.; Jones, W. S.. Political Science: An
Introduction. 10th ed. New York: Pearson
Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-242575-9.
ISBN 978-0-13-242575-9.
Tausch, A.; Prager, F.. Towards a
Socio-Liberal Theory of World
Development. Basingstoke: Macmillan; New
York: St. Martin's Press.
Oxford Handbooks of Political Science –
ten-volume set covering the political
science topics political methodology,
public policy, political theory,
political economy, comparative politics,
contextual political analysis,
international relations, Law and
Politics, political behavior, and
political institutions. The general
editor of the series is Robert E.
Goodin.
References 
External links 
American Political Science Association
European Consortium for Political
Research
International Political Science
Association
Political Studies Association of the UK
PROL: Political Science Research Online
Truman State University Political
Science Research Design Handbook
A New Nation Votes: American Elections
Returns 1787-1825
Political links resource
