Preface

Political theory is about description, observation, analysis and inquiry into the issues of political science. In this discipline, we study various political institutions – the state and its sovereignty, the government and its organs – democracy and the various principles that impinge upon them. We also study ideals and normative values such as liberty, rights, equality and justice that serve to define the rights and responsibilities of the authority and government as well as that of the citizens or groups of citizens and external elements. Authority of the state lies in its legitimacy and this in turn comes from the willing obedience of the citizens to the constitution, and the rules and orders of the government. The core of a stable state and its constitution, and the legitimacy of the government lie here. However, willing obedience of the citizens is not a permanent contract. The state and the government must reflect the needs and requirements of the society in their policies and redistributive decisions, and avoid agitations, demands and pressures – at times even revolts – if not against the state, definitely against the particular policy of the government.

This volume captures all these aspects of political science and dovetails the normative and ideal principles with the expectations and requirements of the political process. Wherever possible, every effort has been made to illustrate aspects of political theory with relevant examples from India and the rest of the world. Our objective has been to ensure that this volume meets the expectations of all readers. We hope that this work will guide them in understanding the basic concepts and principles of political theory in the light of contemporary issues.

As authors, we would like to thank Yajnaseni Das and Prasun Chatterjee at Pearson Education for conceptualizing this special volume and giving their valuable support in bringing this project to a successful completion. We would also like to express our gratitude to the editorial staff at Pearson for making this volume possible.

Hoveyda Abbas
Ranjay Kumar