Political Science I Notes | B.A. LL.B. (Five Year Course) Semester 2 | Mumbai University | munotes

Contents

Module I State and Sovereignty in Political Theory

1. What the State Is: The Concept and Its Meaning 1
2. The State as a Community of Persons 11
3. The State as a Politically Organised Society Within a Defined Territory 18
4. The State as the Only Sovereign Entity, With a Single Government 24
5. The Definitions of the State: The Community and the Juristic Views 31
6. The Definitions of the State: Force, Supremacy and Class 38
7. The Constituent Elements of the State 45
8. Population and Territory: Why Each Element Matters 51
9. Government and Sovereignty: Why Each Element Matters 58
10. State and Government Compared 64
11. State and Society Compared 70
12. State and Association Compared 76
13. Sovereignty: The Basic Element of the State 82
14. The Definitions of Sovereignty 87
15. The Two Aspects of Sovereignty: Internal and External 93
16. The Essential Characteristics of Sovereignty 99
17. Legal Sovereignty 105
18. Political Sovereignty 110
19. Popular Sovereignty 116
20. The History of Sovereignty, I: The Ancient and Medieval World 121
21. The History of Sovereignty, II: From Bodin to the Present 127
22. Jean Bodin: The First Theory of Sovereignty 133
23. Hugo Grotius: Sovereignty Among Nations 140
24. Jeremy Bentham: Sovereignty as a Habit of Obedience 146
25. The Social Contract or Consent Theory of the State 152
26. Hobbes: The Contract That Creates an Absolute Sovereign 158
27. Locke: The Contract That Keeps the People Supreme 164
28. Rousseau: The Sovereignty of the General Will 170
29. Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau Compared 176
30. John Austin's Theory of Sovereignty 181
31. Austin Criticised: Maine, the Pluralists and the Indian Constitution 187

Module II Government as a Concept in Political Theory

1. Government as a Concept in Political Theory 194
2. Statecraft: The Main Currents of Western Political Thought 202
3. Plato's Republic and the Idea of Justice 208
4. Plato's Ideal State 214
5. Plato's Philosopher King 220
6. Plato's Education and Communism 226
7. Plato's Ideal State Evaluated 232
8. Machiavelli and His Age 238
9. Machiavelli's Advice to the Prudent Prince 244
10. Machiavelli Evaluated 251
11. Aristotle's Classification of Governments 258
12. Aristotle's Polity, the Mixed Constitution, and Why Governments Change 264
13. The Modern Classification of Government 271
14. Unitary Government 277
15. Federal Government 282
16. Unitary and Federal Government Compared 290
17. The Quasi-Federal State 295
18. India as a Quasi-Federal State 301
19. Indian Federalism in the Supreme Court 309
20. Parliamentary Government 316
21. Presidential Government 326
22. Parliamentary and Presidential Government Compared 332

Module III Organization of Government

1. The Organisation of Government: Its Three Organs 338
2. The Theory of Separation of Powers 346
3. Montesquieu's Theory of the Separation of Powers 353
4. The Liberal Interpretation: Checks and Balances 361
5. Separation of Powers in the United States 367
6. Separation of Powers in India 374
7. Separation of Powers in the United States and India Compared 381
8. The Doctrine of Separation of Powers Evaluated 385
9. The Judiciary: Its Role and Functions 391
10. The Three Methods of Appointing Judges 398
11. How Judges Are Appointed in India 405
12. The Importance of the Independence of the Judiciary 412
13. The Measures That Ensure Judicial Independence 418
14. The Rule of Law 425
15. Judicial Review 432
16. Judicial Review in India and the USA Compared 439
17. Parliament's Power to Amend the Constitution and Fundamental Rights 445
18. A. K. Gopalan v. State of Madras 451
19. Shankari Prasad v. Union of India 457
20. Sajjan Singh v. State of Rajasthan 462
21. Golak Nath v. State of Punjab 466
22. Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala: The Basic Structure Case 471
23. The Basic Structure After Kesavananda 477
24. Parliamentary Sovereignty: Meaning and Nature 483
25. Parliamentary Sovereignty in India and Its Limitations 488
26. Parliamentary Sovereignty in the United Kingdom 493
27. Parliamentary Sovereignty in the United Kingdom: The Contemporary Challenges 499

Module IV Representation

1. The Concept of Representation 507
2. The Role of the Representative 515
3. Universal Adult Suffrage 523
4. Women's Enfranchisement: The Arguments For and Against 531
5. The Fight for Women's Suffrage in the USA 538
6. The Challenges to Women's Representation in India 546
7. The Bases of Representation, and Territorial Representation 554
8. Single Member and Multi Member Constituencies 561
9. Functional Representation and Its Difficulties 568
10. Minority Representation 574
11. Proportional Representation: The Hare Plan or Single Transferable Vote 582
12. Proportional Representation: The List System 589
13. The System of Plural Voting 595
14. The Electoral System in India, and the Composition of the Election Commission 601
15. The Powers and Functions of the Election Commission 608
16. The Autonomy of the Election Commission 616
17. Social Media's Influence on Elections in India 623
18. The Election Commission's Scrutiny of Social Media 630