MPSC Political Science Syllabus 2023
For the MPSC Rajyaseva exam, the Political Science and International Relations (PSIR), as it is commonly known, is a subject for which a large amount of study material is available in English and Marathi. PSIR syllabus includes topics like Freedom Struggle and Indian Politics, Constitution of India, International Economic System and Trade, International Organizations, India's Foreign Policy, Peacekeeping, etc. These subjects are also part of the syllabus for General Studies Paper 2.
Download MPSC Political Science Syllabus PDF
PSIR optional course is highly beneficial even after clearing the MPSC Rajyaseva exam as essential topics can be applied to your government job. Download the MPSC Syllabus For Political Science PDF in English and Marathi using the direct link below.
MPSC Political Science Optional syllabus in English, Download PDF
MPSC Political Science Optional Syllabus in Marathi (Available Soon)
MPSC Political Science Syllabus: Paper 1
MPSC PSIR optional paper 1 consists of 'Political Theory and Indian Politics' subject for 250 marks. The PSIR optional paper 1 is divided into 2 sections:
- Section 1:Political Theory and Thinkers
- Section 2:Indian Government and Politics
The detailed section-wise syllabus for the MPSC political science (PSIR) paper 1 is given below in the table:
MPSC Political Science Optional Syllabus Paper 1 | |||
No. | Section 1: Political Theory and Thinkers | No | Section 2: Indian Government and Politics |
1 | Political Theory: meaning and approaches. | 1 | Indian Nationalism:
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2 | Theories of the State: Liberal, Neoliberal, Marxist, Pluralist, Post-colonial and feminist. | 2 | Making of the Indian Constitution: Legacies of the British rule; different social and political perspectives. |
3 | Justice: Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawl’s theory of justice and its communitarian critiques. | 3 | Salient Features of the Indian Constitution: The Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles; Parliamentary System and Amendment Procedures; Judicial Review and Basic Structure doctrine. |
4 | Equality: Social, political and economic; relationship between equality and freedom; Affirmative action. | 4 | a) Principal Organs of the Union Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature and Supreme Court. |
5 | Rights: Meaning and theories; different kinds of rights; concept of Human Rights. | 5 | Grassroots Democracy: Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; the significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments; Grassroot movements. |
6 | Democracy: Classical and contemporary theories; different models of democracy – representative, participatory and deliberative. | 6 | Statutory Institutions/Commissions: Election Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, Finance Commission, Union Public Service Commission, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Women; National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Minorities, National Backward Classes Commission. |
7 | Concept of power, hegemony, ideology and legitimacy. | 7 | Federalism: Constitutional provisions; changing nature of centre-state relations; integrationist tendencies and regional aspirations; inter-state disputes. |
8 | Political Ideologies: Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism and Feminism. | 8 | Planning and Economic Development : Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; role of planning and public sector; Green Revolution, land reforms and agrarian relations; liberalization and economic reforms. |
9 | Indian Political Thought : Dharamshastra, Arthashastra and Buddhist traditions; Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, M.K. Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, M.N. Roy . | 9 | Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian Politics. |
10 | Western Political Thought: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, John S. Mill, Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt. | 10 | Party System: National and regional political parties, ideological and social bases of parties; patterns of coalition politics; Pressure groups, trends in electoral behaviour; changing socio- economic profile of Legislators. |
11 | Social Movements: Civil liberties and human rights movements; women’s movements; environmentalist movements. |
MPSC Political Science Syllabus: Paper 2
MPSC PSIR optional paper 2 consists of 'Comparative Politics and International Relations subject for 250 marks. The PSIR optional paper 2 is divided into 2 sections:
- Section 1: Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics
- Section 2: India and the World
The detailed section-wise syllabus for the MPSC political science (PSIR) paper 2 is given below in the table:
MPSC Political Science Optional Syllabus Paper 2 | |||
No. | Section 1: Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics | No | Section 2: India and the World |
1 | Comparative Politics: Nature and major approaches; political economy and political sociology perspectives; limitations of the comparative method. | 1 | Indian Foreign Policy: Determinants of foreign policy; institutions of policy-making; continuity and change. |
2 | State in comparative perspective: Characteristics and changing nature of the State in capitalist and socialist economies, and, advanced industrial and developing societies. | 2 | India’s Contribution to the Non-Alignment Movement: Different phases; current role. |
3 | Politics of Representation and Participation: Political parties, pressure groups and social movements in advanced industrial and developing societies. | 3 | India and South Asia:
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4 | Globalisation: Responses from developed and developing societies. | 4 | India and the Global South: Relations with Africa and Latin America; leadership role in the demand for NIEO and WTO negotiations. |
5 | Approaches to studying International Relations: Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist and Systems theory. | 5 | India and the Global Centres of Power: USA, EU, Japan, China and Russia. |
6 | Key concepts in International Relations: National interest, Security and power; Balance of power and deterrence; Transnational actors and collective security; World capitalist economy and globalization. | 6 | India and the UN System: Role in UN Peace-keeping; demand for Permanent Seat in the Security Council. |
7 | Changing International Political Order: | 7 | India and the Nuclear Question: Changing perceptions and policy. |
8 | Rise of superpowers; strategic and ideological Bipolarity, arms race and Cold War; nuclear threat; | 8 | Recent developments in Indian Foreign policy: India’s position on the recent crisis in Afghanistan, Iraq and West Asia, growing relations with US and Israel; vision of a new world order. |
9 | Non-aligned movement: Aims and achievements; | ||
10 | The collapse of the Soviet Union; Unipolarity and American hegemony; relevance of non-alignment in the contemporary world. | ||
11 | Evolution of the International Economic System: From Bretton Woods to WTO; Socialist economies and the CMEA (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance); Third World demand for new international economic order; Globalisation of the world economy. | ||
12 | United Nations: Envisaged role and actual record; specialized UN agencies-aims and functioning; the need for UN reforms. | ||
13 | Regionalization of World Politics: EU, ASEAN, APEC, SAARC, NAFTA. | ||
14 | Contemporary Global Concerns: Democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice, terrorism, nuclear proliferation. |
How to Prepare Political Science for MPSC Mains
As you must have seen, the optional in Political Science is divided into two papers. And each paper has 2 parts. So let's understand how to prepare each of these sections:
MPSC Political Science Preparation Strategy | |
Paper 1: Political Theory and Indian Politics | |
Section 1 | Focus on completing the static part of the section. |
Section 2 | This section contains significant syllabus overlap with GS 1 and 2 but has to be read with an alternative flavour. |
Paper 2: Comparative Politics and International Relations | |
Section 1 | This section is a combination of dynamic & static topics. For the static part, aspirants can check IGNOU and YCMOU notes. However, be very selective while reading IGNOU and YCMOU notes. You don't need to read every subject; just read as per syllabus demands. |
Section 2 | Section 2 of the Paper 2 is heavily dependent on current affairs. Questions are generally asked on the current/ trending topics. Hence, make sure you’re thorough with the current affairs. |
MPSC Political Science Optional Syllabus: Booklist
Refer to the MPSC PSIR booklist mentioned below to ensure that you comprehensively complete the syllabus.
- Introduction to Political Theory – O P Gauba
- Foundations of Indian Political Thought – V R Mehta
- Global Politics – Andrew Heywood
- Political Theory – Rajeev Bhargava
- Introduction to the Constitution of India – D D Basu
- Comparative Politics – J.C Johari
- Indian Foreign Policy – Rajeev Sikri
- Does the Elephant Dance – David Malone
- Yojana Magazine
- YCMOU Notes
- IGNOU Material
- Newspapers
- A History Of Political Thought: Plato To Marx – Mukherjee and Susheela Ramaswamy
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