USign in
Social Sciences

Political Science & International Relations Optional Syllabus for UPSC

The UPSC Political Science & International Relations optional is examined in two Mains papers of 250 marks each, 500 marks in total. Paper I has 6 topics and Paper II has 5 topics, listed below with their subtopics.

Political Science & International Relations Paper I syllabus

  1. 1. Political Theory

    • Meaning & approaches to political theory
    • Theories of state — liberal, neo-liberal, Marxist, pluralist, post-colonial, feminist
    • Justice — Rawls' theory, communitarian critiques
    • Equality (social, political, economic), rights, democracy — classical & contemporary models

  2. 2. Concepts of Power & Ideology

    • Concept of power — hegemony, ideology, legitimacy (Gramsci, Althusser)
    • Political ideologies — liberalism, socialism, Marxism, fascism, Gandhism, feminism
    • Democracy — representative, participatory, deliberative models
    • Human rights — meaning, theories, different kinds of rights

  3. 3. Political Thought

    • Indian political thought — Dharmashastra, Arthashastra, Buddhist traditions
    • Modern Indian thinkers — Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Aurobindo, Gandhi, Ambedkar, M.N. Roy
    • Western political thought — Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Mill
    • Modern Western — Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt

  4. 4. Indian Nationalism & Constitution Making

    • Political strategies — constitutionalism to mass Satyagraha, non-cooperation, civil disobedience
    • Revolutionary, peasant & workers' movements; Liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Dalit perspectives
    • Making of the Indian Constitution — legacies of British rule; social & political perspectives
    • Salient features — preamble, FRs, FDs, DPSPs, parliamentary system, amendment, judicial review

  5. 5. Indian Government & Institutions

    • Union Executive — President, PM, Cabinet; State Executive — Governor, CM; actual working
    • Parliament & State Legislatures — structure, functions, actual working
    • Supreme Court & High Courts — judicial review, basic structure doctrine, PIL
    • Statutory institutions — ECI, CAG, Finance Commission, UPSC, NHRC, NCW, NCBC

  6. 6. Federalism, Planning & Social Issues

    • Federalism — constitutional provisions, centre-state relations, integrationist vs regional aspirations
    • Grassroots democracy — 73rd & 74th Amendments, Panchayati Raj, grassroot movements
    • Planning & economic development — Nehruvian vs Gandhian; Green Revolution, land reforms, liberalisation
    • Caste, religion & ethnicity; party system — national/regional parties, coalition politics, electoral behaviour

Political Science & International Relations Paper II syllabus

  1. 1. Comparative Politics

    • Nature & major approaches to comparative politics — political economy, political sociology
    • State in comparative perspective — capitalist vs socialist, developed vs developing societies
    • Politics of representation — parties, pressure groups, social movements (advanced vs developing)
    • Globalisation — responses from developed & developing societies

  2. 2. International Relations Theory

    • Approaches to IR — idealist, realist, Marxist, functionalist, systems theory
    • Key concepts — national interest, security, power, balance of power, deterrence
    • Transnational actors, collective security; world capitalist economy & globalisation
    • Changing international order — bipolarity, Cold War, Soviet collapse, US unipolarity

  3. 3. International Institutions & World Order

    • UN — envisaged role, actual record, specialized agencies, need for reform
    • International economic system — Bretton Woods to WTO; NIEO demand; globalisation
    • Regionalisation — EU, ASEAN, APEC, SAARC, NAFTA
    • Contemporary global concerns — democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice, nuclear proliferation

  4. 4. India's Foreign Policy

    • Determinants of foreign policy — institutions, continuity & change
    • India's contribution to Non-Alignment Movement — phases, current role
    • India & South Asia — SAARC, free trade, Look East/Act East policy, river water disputes
    • India & major powers — USA, China, Russia, EU; nuclear question, CTBT

  5. 5. India & Global Issues

    • India & the UN system — peacekeeping, UNSC reform, multilateral diplomacy
    • India's nuclear policy — NFU doctrine, NSG membership, civilian nuclear agreement
    • India & global economy — WTO, trade policy, FDI, economic diplomacy
    • India's contribution to global environment, terrorism, refugee issues

Other Social Sciences optionals

Track your Political Science & International Relations preparation

Follow Paper I and Paper II topic by topic, with revision counts — free.

Start tracking — free