UPSC Political Science & International Relations Syllabus - Sleepy Classes IAS Skip to main content

UPSC Political Science & International Relations Syllabus

PSIR – PAPER I

Political Theory and Indian Politics

  • Political Theory: meaning and approaches.
  • Theories of State: Liberal, Neo-liberal, Marxist, Pluiralist, post-colonial and Feminist.
  • Justice: Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawl’s theory of justice and its communitarian critiques.
  • Equality: Social, political and economic; relationship between equality and freedom; Affirmative action.
  • Rights: Meaning and theories; different kinds of rights; Concept of Human Rights.
  • Democracy: Classical and contemporary theories; different models of democracy—representative, participatory and deliberative.
  • Concept of power: hegemony, ideology and legitimacy.
  • Political Ideologies: Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism and Feminism.
  • Indian Political Thought: Dharamshastra, Arthashastra and Buddhist Traditions; Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, M. K. Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, M. N. Roy.
  • Western Political Thought: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, John S. Mill, Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt.

Indian Government and Politics

  • Indian Nationalism: Political Strategies of India’s Freedom Struggle : Constitutionalism to mass Satyagraha, Non-cooperation, Civil Disobedience; Militant and Revolutionary Movements, Peasant and Workers Movements; Perspectives on Indian National Movement; Liberal, Socialist and Marxist; Radical Humanist and Dalit.
  • Making of the Indian Constitution: Legacies of the British rule; different social and political perspectives.
  • 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.
  • Principal Organs of the Union Government : Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature and Supreme Court; Principal Organs of the State Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature and High Courts.
  • Grassroots Democracy: Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; Significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments; Grassroot movements.
  • 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.
  • Federalism: Constitutional provisions; changing nature of centre-state relations; integrationist tendencies and regional aspirations; inter-state disputes.
  • Planning and Economic development: Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; Role of Government strives to have a workforce which reflects gender balance and women candidates are encouraged to apply. planning and public sector; Green Revolution, land reforms and agrarian relations; liberalization and economic reforms.
  • Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian Politics.
  • 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.
  • Social Movement: Civil liberties and human rights movements; women’s movements; environmentalist movements.

PSIR – PAPER II

Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics

  • Comparative Politics: Nature and major approaches; Political economy and political sociology perspectives; Limitations of the comparative method.
  • State in Comparative Perspective: Characteristics and changing nature of the State in capitalist and socialist economies, and advanced industrial and developing societies.
  • Politics of Representation and Participation: Political parties, pressure groups and social movements in advanced industrial and developing societies.
  • Globalisation: Responses from developed and developing societies.
  • Approaches to the Study of International Relations: Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist and Systems theory.
  • Key Concepts in International Relations: National interest, security and power; Balance of power and deterrence; Transational actors and collective security; World capitalist economy and globalisation.
  • Changing International Political Order: Rise of super powers; Strategic and ideological Bipolarity, arms race and cold war; Nuclear threat; Non-aligned Movement: Aims and achievements; Collapse of the Soviet Union; Unipolarity and American hegemony; Relevance of non-alignment in the contemporary world.
  • Evolution of the International Economic System: From Brettonwoods 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.
  • United Nations: Envisaged role and actual record; Specialized UN agencies—aims and functioning; need for UN reforms.
  • Regionalisation of World Politics: EU, ASEAN, APEC, AARC, NAFTA.
  • Contemporary Global Concerns: Democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice terrorism, nuclear proliferation.

India and the World

  • Indian Foreign Policy: Determinants of foreign policy; the institutions of policy-making; Government strives to have a workforce which reflects gender balance and women candidates are encouraged to apply. Continuity and change.
  • India’s Contribution to the Non-Alignment Movement Different phases; Current role.
  • India and South Asia: Regional Co-operation: SAARC-past performance and future prospects; South Asia as a Free Trade Area; India’s “Look East” policy; Impediments to regional co-operation: River water disputes; illegal cross border migration; Ethnic conflicts and insurgencies; Border disputes.
  • India and the Global South: Relations with Africa and Latin America; Leadership role in the demand for NIEO and WTO negotiations.
  • India and the Global Centres of Power: USA, EU, Japan, China and Russia.
  • India and the UN System: Role in UN Peace-Keeping; Demand for Permanent Seat in the Security Council.
  • India and the Nuclear Question: Changing perceptions and policy.
  • Recent developments in Indian Foreign Policy: India’s position on the recent crises in Afghanistan, Iraq and West Asia, growing relations with US and Israel; Vision of a new world order.