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Normative Politics

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QUESTION: THE METHODS USED BY
INSTITUTIONALISM

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THEORY

Institutionalism put much emphasis on formal legal and political arrangements of the society. Unlike normative political theory which is more theoretical, institutionalism is more empirical in nature. Adrian Leftwich in his book “What is Politics”, argues that normative political theory and institutionalism are the two pillars of traditional political science. But others, especially behavioralists have criticized Leftwich by arguing that the concept of political science is too broad, and that there is more to political science than just normative political theory and institutionalism. With regards to the subject matter of political science in the view of the institutionalists, political science came into existence as an independent field of study when it departed from other fields like philosophy, sociology and even political economy. These include the formal legal and political arrangements of society called the state. Three methods are peculiar to institutionalism, they are the descriptive-inductive method, the formal-legal method and the historical-comparative method.
Firstly, the descriptive-inductive method is used by the institutionalists in political science. The word descriptive literally means to describe, but in the context of institutionalism, the word descriptive means using the technique of the historian to investigate specific events, institutions and so on. And inductive in the sense that it analyses and makes meaning. It produces systematic knowledge to analyze and describe political activities in a way. To make sense, the historian uses past events to explain what is happening in the present. In using this method, more emphasis is put on explanation and understanding of present political phenomena but not formulation which is done in the natural sciences.

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