PSIR Optional By Shashank Tyagi from StudyIQ

Shashank Tyagi: Faculty, Polity & PSIR Specialist

• Mentored 10,000+ UPSC Aspirants – With extensive experience in both online and offline teaching, he has guided thousands of students toward success.
• Government Recognition – Honoured by the Govt. of NCT of Delhi for outstanding academic achievements and contributions to education.
• PSIR & Polity Expert – Specialises in Political Science & International Relations (PSIR) Optional and Polity,offering deep insights and exam-oriented strategies.
• Authority in Polity & Governance – Renowned for breaking down complex topics, ensuring students gain strong conceptual clarity in General Studies.

Why to choose PSIR as an Optional Subject?

• PSIR (Political Science and International Relations) is a popular optional subject for civil service aspirants due to its relevance and comprehensiveness.
• It offers a deep understanding of political systems, governance, international relations, and global issues, providing a holistic perspective on the world.
• PSIR covers a wide range of topics including political philosophy, comparative politics, Indian government and politics, international organizations, diplomacy, and security studies.
• Studying PSIR enhances critical thinking skills, analytical abilities, and the capacity to evaluate and interpret political scenarios.
• It equips aspirants with the knowledge and tools to analyze domestic and global political dynamics and formulate effective policies.
• PSIR is particularly beneficial for those interested in pursuing careers in public administration, diplomacy, international relations, or political research.
• By choosing PSIR as an optional subject, candidates gain a comprehensive understanding of the political landscape, which is essential for success in civil service examinations and for contributing meaningfully to governance and international affairs.

Political Science & International Relations Optional Syllabus

PAPER-I

Part A-Political Theory

1. Political theory: meaning and approaches.
2. Theories of the state: Liberal, Neo-liberal, Marxist, Pluralist, Post-colonial and feminist.
3. Justice: Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawl’s theory of justice and its communitarian critiques.
4. Equality: Social, political and economic; relationship between equality and freedom; Affirmative action.
5. Rights: Meaning and theories; different kinds of rights; concept of Human Rights.
6. Democracy: Classical and contemporary theories; different models of democracy-representative, participatory and deliberative.
7. Concept of power: hegemony, ideology and legitimacy.
8. Political Ideologies: Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism and Feminism.
9. Indian Political Thought: Dharamshastra, Arthashastra and Buddhist traditions; Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, M.K. Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, M.N. Roy.
10. Western Political Thought: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, John S. Mill, Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt.

PART B-Indian Government and Politics

1. Indian Nationalism:
   1. Political Strategies of India’s Freedom struggle : constitutionalism to mass Satyagraha, Non-cooperation, Civil Disobedience ; millitant and revolutionary movements, Peasant and workers’ movements.
   2. Perspectives on Indian National Movement: Liberal, Socialist and Marxist; Radical humanist and Dalit.
2. Making of the Indian Constitution: Legacies of the British rule; different social and political perspectives.
3. 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.
   1. Principal Organs of the Union Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature and Supreme Court.ge no.
   2. Principal Organs of the State Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature and High Courts.
4. Grassroots Democracy: Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments; Grassroot movements.
5. Statutory Institutions/Commissions: Election Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, Finance Commission, Union Public Service Commission, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Comission for scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Women; National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Minorities, National Backward Classes Commission.
6. Federalism: Constitutional provisions; changing nature of centre-state relations; integrationist tendencies and regional aspirations; inter-state disputes.
7. Planning and Economic Development : Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; role of planning and public sector; Green Revolution, land reforms and agrarian relations; liberalilzation and economic reforms.
8. Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian Politics.
9. Party System: National and regional political parties, ideological and social bases of parties; patterns of coalition politics; Pressure groups, trends in electoral behaviour; changing socio-economic profile of Legislators.
10. Social Movements: Civil liberties and human rights movements; women’s movements; environmentalist movements

PAPER II: Comparative Politics and International Relations

PART A: Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics:

1. Comparative Politics: Nature and major approaches; political economy and political sociology perspectives; limitations of the comparative method.
2. State in comparative perspective: Characteristics and changing nature of the State in capitalist and socialist economies, and, advanced industrial and developing societies.
3. Politics of Representation and Participation: Political parties, pressure groups and social movements in advanced industrial and developing societies.
4. Globalisation: Responses from developed and developing societies.
5. Approaches to the Study of International Relations: Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist and Systems theory.
6. Key concepts in International Relations: National interest, Security and power; Balance of power and deterrence; Transnational actors and collective security; World capitalist economy and globalisation.
7. Changing International Political Order:

• 1. Rise of super powers; strategic and ideological Bipolarity, arms race and Cold War; nuclear threat;
  2. non-al igned movement: Aims and achievements;
  3. Collapse of the Soviet Union; Unipolarity and American hegemony; relevance of non-alignment in the contemporary world.

8. 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.
9. United Nations: Envisaged role and actual record; specialized UN agencies-aims and functioning; need for UN reforms.
10. Regionalisation of World Politics: EU, ASEAN, APEC, SAARC, NAFTA.
11. Contemporary Global Concerns: Democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice, terrorism, nuclear proliferation.

PART B:India and the World:

1. Indian Foreign Policy: Determinants of foreign policy; institutions of policy-making; continuity and change.
2. India’s Contribution to the Non-Alignment Movement: Different phases; current role.
3. India and South Asia:

• 1. Regional Co-operation: SAARC-past performance and future prospects.
  2. South Asia as a Free Trade Area.
  3. India’s “Look East” policy.
  4. Impediments to regional co-operation: river water disputes; illegal cross-border migration; ethnic conflicts and insurgencies; border disputes.

4. India and the Global South: Relations with Africa and Latin America; leadership role in the demand for NIEO and WTO negotiations.

5. India and the Global Centres of Power: USA, EU, Japan, China and Russia.

6. India and the UN System: Role in UN Peace-keeping; demand for Permanent Seat in the Security Council.

7. India and the Nuclear Question: Changing perceptions and policy.

8. Recent developments in Indian Foreign policy: India’s position on the recent crisis in Afghanistan, Iraq and West Asia, growing relations with US and Israel; vision of a new world order.

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