Pre-Behavioralism in Political Science

1979 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Wahlke
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Problems ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Political Behavior ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Research Topics ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Political Actions

Political behavior research has delivered less than the “behavioral revolution” seemed originally to promise. A survey of recent work suggests that the reason is not its epistemological premises (which are accepted here) or its methodology, but (1) its unsystematic, atheoretical character and limited range of research topics, and (2) the erroneous conception of human nature on which research rests. Compared with either the established principles of modern biobehavioral science or the conceptions of human problems of earlier political science, political behavior research remains “pre-behavioral.”To progress beyond this stage, political scientists must recognize and apply the basic knowledge about human behavior provided by the biobehavioral sciences. Two brief examples of such application are given: how ethological knowledge can supply a needed theoretical perspective for identifying political behavior problems worth studying; and how neurophysiological knowledge, particularly psychophysiology and psychophysics, can correct mistaken conceptions of the relationship between political attitudes, political words, and political actions.

Perceived Discrimination and Political Behavior

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 867-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kassra A.R. Oskooii
Keyword(s):  
Political Behavior ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Political Behaviors ◽  
Democratic Norms ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractCan different experiences with discrimination produce divergent political behaviors? Does it make a difference whether individuals are discriminated against by their peers or community members in the course of everyday life as opposed to political actors or institutions tasked with upholding democratic norms of equality and fairness? Crossing disciplinary boundaries, this study proposes a new theoretical perspective regarding the relationship between discrimination and political behavior. Specifically, it distinguishes between societal (interpersonal) and political (systematic) discrimination when examining the behaviors of racial and ethnic minorities in Great Britain. The results illustrate that although experiences of political discrimination may motivate individuals to take part in mainstream politics for substantive or expressive purposes, the same conclusion cannot necessarily be drawn for those who experience societal rejection. The principal aim of this study is to further highlight the complex and multidimensional nature of discrimination, and to encourage further analyses of how different types of discrimination may impact the civic and political behaviors of minority groups.

Triangulating territory: a case for pragmatic interaction between political science, political geography, and critical IR

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burak Kadercan
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Political Geography ◽  
Research Topics ◽  
The Past ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Constitutive Properties ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Cross Fertilization

The relationship between the political and socially constructed nature of territory (or, territories’ ‘constitutive properties’) and international politics has recently attracted substantial attention from scholars hailing from political science as well as political geography and critical international relations. The conversations across these scholarly traditions, however, leave a lot to be desired. The question then becomes, how can we, if at all, facilitate further interaction and cross-fertilization across seemingly disparate literatures? This study proposes a strategy of ‘pragmatic interaction’, which entails three steps: (i) establishing a simple conceptual framework that would be both recognizable and agreeable to scholars hailing from different perspectives; (ii) emphasizing a number of research topics that are of relevance to these scholars; and (iii) examining some of the recent entries from the relative literatures in the light of the identified research topics. The analysis suggests that there is much potential for interdisciplinary cross-fertilization over two broad research areas – ‘territorial heterogeneity’ of the past and present global territorial orders and the relationship between territory and power – also driving attention to potential research venues such as territorial interpretations of the anarchy/hierarchy problematique and the interaction between identity and territoriality.

Research at Stony Brook: Political Science in a Biobehavioral Laboratory

1982 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Calvin Andrus
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Political Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Research ◽  
Human Organism ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Laboratory Facilities ◽  
Conducting Research

Political behavior, like all human behavior, can be studied using the S–O–R paradigm, where S is a particular stimulus, 0 is the human organism, and R is a response or behavior (cf. Tursky, Lodge, and Cross, 1976). Here at the Laboratory for Behavioral Research at Stony Brook we are currently conducting research projects that investigate each of these components of the paradigm and the interactions among them. Before reviewing these projects, however, I will briefly describe our laboratory facilities.

Correct Voting and Post-Election Regret

2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (04) ◽  
pp. 761-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Blais ◽  
Anja Kilibarda
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Political Behavior ◽  
Political Information ◽  
Individual Choice ◽  
National Elections ◽  
Organizational Science ◽  
Correct Voting ◽  
The Relationship

ABSTRACTRegret is a basic affect associated with individual choice. While much research in organizational science and consumer behavior has assessed the precedents and consequents of regret, little attention has been paid to regret in political science. The present study assesses the relationship between one of the most democratically consequential forms of political behavior—voting—and feelings of regret. We examine the extent to which citizens regret how they voted after doing so and the factors that might lead one individual to be more regretful than another. Relying on surveys in five different countries after 11 regional and national elections, we find not only that political information leads to a decrease in post-election regret, but also that having voted correctly, or having voted in accordance with one’s underlying preferences regardless of information, similarly mitigates regret. The effect of correct voting on regret is greater among the least informed.

Sex and Politics—New Alignments, Old Issues

1982 ◽  
Vol 15 (03) ◽  
pp. 439-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen A. Frankovic
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Political Behavior ◽  
The Political ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Opinion Formation ◽  
War And Peace ◽  
Candidate Preference ◽  
Candidate Evaluations ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between sex and political behavior has been discussed only in passing in the political science literature, if it is discussed at all. There has been little evidence from the 1940s to the 1970s that gender plays a role in determining issue positions, candidate evaluations, or candidate preference, as a quick perusal of some well-read political science works would confirm.Berelson, Lazarsfeld and McPhee inVoting, the seminal work on opinion formation in a presidential campaign, discovered no relationship between vote preference and sex. The researchers did discover a difference in reported interest in the 1948 campaign between men and women early in the campaign, but even that difference faded as the election drew near.Campbell, Converse, Miller and Stokes inThe American Votermake no mention of either the existence or non-existence of sex difference in policy or candidate preference. They focus instead on differences in turnout, involvement and efficacy. Although they suggest that at one time opinions about Prohibition may have separated men from women, the authors conclude, “In the current era, there is no reason to believe that womenas womenare differentially attracted to one of the political parties.”Pomper inVoters' Choicedoes find a relationship between sex and one issue dimension–the dimension of war and peace. But Pomper, Campbell and Berelson agree that any sex differences cannot, by definition, be long-lasting. Berelson cites the lack of differentiation in the way policies affect the sexes, the lack of differences in intergenerational transmission, and the lack of segregation between the sexes.

Two Theories of Effective Government

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Lindvall
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Precise Definition ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter introduces the problem of “reform capacity” (the ability of political decision-makers to adopt and implement policy changes that benefit society as a whole, by adjusting public policies to changing economic, social, and political circumstances). The chapter also reviews the long-standing discussion in political science about the relationship between political institutions and effective government. Furthermore, the chapter explains why the possibility of compensation matters greatly for the politics of reform; provides a precise definition of the concept of reform capacity; describes the book's general approach to this problem; and discusses the ethics of compensating losers from reform; and presents the book's methodological approach.

Industrial districts and local governance in the Italian experience

1999 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-139
Author(s):  
Maurizio Mistri
Keyword(s):  
Political Behavior ◽  
Political Attitudes ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Dynamic Processes ◽  
Industrial Districts ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Local Growth ◽  
Italian Experience ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Relationship

This paper focuses on the problem of the governance of industrial districts in Italy. The analysis begins with an assessment of the dynamic processes that characterize the development of industrial districts, particularly as concerns the elements of a cultural nature. The relationship between local political attitudes and forms of local growth is considered, generally revealing how in the various practical examples there is a convergence between models of political behavior and the needs of the system of small enterprises. The paper ends with a brief discussion of the law 317/91, designed to establish the responsibilities and roles of the industrial districts.

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