Political science

Political science encompasses all research into the political organisation of societies and the power relationships underpinning them. It involves a number of sub-disciplines with different approaches to such issues. Political theory or philosophy aims to understand and analyse types of government, forms of representation, political power relations and the question of the common good or of general interest. Political sociology is a branch concerned with all the social processes related to politics. It thus integrates electoral sociology, the study of political parties and how political power is organised along with the analysis of social movements. The subject of international relations encompasses all research into geopolitics, relations between states and forms of international organisation (regional integration, international organisations, etc.). Finally, research into public action and public policy is a more recent field concerned with forms of intervention involving public stakeholders, usually in interaction with other private sector stakeholders like companies or organisations. Political science as a discipline works to a great extent from a comparative perspective, aiming to understand the mechanisms it studies in different national contexts and by comparing different time periods.

Research centers and networks