UPSC Political Science & International Relations Syllabus 2023

Political Science & International Relations is a kind of subject that is selected by the candidates of almost every background. You need to have a good understanding and knowledge of general awareness in order to do well in the exam. The UPSC Political Science & International Relations Syllabus 2023 broadly comprises of topics based on Indian politics and its International relations. Plus, topics about international bodies like UN, ASEAN, APEC, etc. are also included in Political Science & International Relations Syllabus of civil services exam 2023. Go through this post to check out the latest UPSC syllabus for Political Science & International Relations subject.

IAS Political Science & International Relations Syllabus 2023

There are large numbers of topics included in the UPSC PSIR syllabus. That’s why it is crucial for the to have complete knowledge of the syllabus. The syllabus for both paper – I and Paper – II of Political Science & International Relations is given below.

Paper – I Syllabus

Political Theory and Indian Politics:

  • 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, and Hannah Arendt.
  • Political Theory: meaning and approaches.
  • Theories of state: Liberal, Neo-liberal, Marxist, Pluralist, 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.

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.
  • 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 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 behavior, changing socio-economic profile of Legislators.
  • Social Movement: Civil liberties and human rights movements, women’s movements, environmentalist movements.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Grassroots Democracy: Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government, Significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments, Grassroot movements.

Paper – II Syllabus

Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics

  • 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.
  • Key Concepts in International Relations: National interest, security and power, Balance of power and deterrence, Transational actors and collective security, World capitalist economy and globalization.
  • Approaches to the Study of International Relations: Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist and Systems theory.
  • Globalization: Responses from developed and developing societies.
  • Politics of Representation and Participation: Political parties, pressure groups and social movement in advanced industrial and developing societies.
  • State in Comparative Perspective: Characteristics and changing nature of the State in capitalist and socialist economies, and advanced industrial and developing societies.
  • Comparative Politics: Nature and major approaches, Political economy and political sociology perspectives, Limitations of the comparative method.
  • Contemporary Global Concerns: Democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice terrorism, nuclear proliferation.
  • Regionalization of World Politics: EU, ASEAN, APEC, AARC, NAFTA.
  • United Nations: Envisaged role and actual record, Specialized UN agencies—aims and functioning, need for UN reforms.
  • 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.

India and the World

  • 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’s Contribution to the Non-Alignment Movement Different phases, Current role.
  • Indian Foreign Policy: Determinants of foreign policy, the institutions of policy-making, Continuity and change.
  • Recent developments in Indian Foreign Policy: India’s position on the recent crises in Afghanistan, Iraq and West Asia, growing relations with US and Isreal, Vision of a new world order.
  • India and the Nuclear Question: Changing perceptions and policy.
  • India and the UN System: Role in UN Peace-keeping, Demand for Permanent Seat in the Security Council.
  • India and the Global Centres of Power: USA, EU, Japan, China and Russia.
  • India and the Global South: Relations with Africa and Latin America, Leadership role in the demand for NIEO and WTO negotiations.
Political Science and International Relations

UPSC Political Science & International Relations Syllabus: PDF

UPSC Syllabus

Leave a Comment