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Marxist approach to International Relations

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The Marxist approach to the study of international relational is unconventional, as it insists on the need for change, unlike the realist and liberals. It is not status-quoits and stands for radical change of the existing international/world order. Liberals and Realist theories hold that power is organized vertically, reflecting the division of the world into independent states, Marxism advances a theory of horizontal organization based on international class. Marxist agrees that the social world must be viewed and analyzed in totality. They insist that understanding one without knowledge of the other is not possible because the social world can only be studied as a whole. Another key element of the Marxist approach is the materialist conception of history. Economic development serves as the motor of history. The central dynamic that Marx identifies is tension between means of production and relations of production that together form the economic base of a given society. The legal,...
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Marxist approach to International Relations

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The Marxist approach to the study of international relational is unconventional, as it insists on the need for change, unlike the realist and liberals. It is not status-quoits and stands for radical change of the existing international/world order. Liberals and Realist theories hold that power is organized vertically, reflecting the division of the world into independent states, Marxism advances a theory of horizontal organization based on international class. Marxist agrees that the social world must be viewed and analyzed in totality. They insist that understanding one without knowledge of the other is not possible because the social world can only be studied as a whole. Another key element of the Marxist approach is the materialist conception of history. Economic development serves as the motor of history. The central dynamic that Marx identifies is tension between means of production and relations of production that together form the economic base of a given society. The legal,...
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Constructivist approach

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  After the Cold War, international relations discourse provided more diverse approaches to understand and analyze world politics. Constructivism theory is one of the models of the progressing emergence of international relations theory. According to constructivist approach, the behavior of humans is determined by their identity, which itself is shaped by society’s values,  history , practices, and institutions. Constructivists hold that all institutions, including the state, are socially constructed, in the sense that they reflect an “intersubjective consensus” of shared beliefs about political practice, acceptable social behavior, and  values . In much the same way, the individual members of the state or other unit continuously construct the reality about which policy decisions, including decisions about  war  and peace and conflict and cooperation, are made. While realism and liberalism concentrate on material factors like power or corporation, constructivist...
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Define political party. What purpose do political party serve in a democratic polity.(IGNOU/UPSC/STATE EXAMS)

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  Political parties are organized groups pf people with similar ideas or ideology about the function and scope of government, with shared policy goals that work together to elect individuals to office, to create and implement policies, to further an agenda, and to gain control of the government and the policy making process.  There are different types of party system. In Parliamentary democracy, parties formulate public opinion, select candidates and seek election to secure maximum number of seats in the Parliament, so that they are in a position to form their governments. The party that fails to secure majority of seats sit in the opposition and offer constructive criticism. Two-party system is best suited for the efficient working of Parliamentary democracy e.g. Britain In a multi-party system, no single party may secure a clear majority, but a number of parties enter into coalition to form the government. The voters have wider choice in the elections but it leads to frequen...
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"Poverty anywhere in the world is a danger to prosperity everywhere.' Comment (IGNOU/UPSC/STATE EXAMS)

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 Poverty is a state or condition in which a person or community lacks the financial resources and essential for a minimum standard of living. Each nation may have its own criteria for determining how many of its people are living in poverty. For certain class of economists 'poverty line' is a defining yardstick which differentiate population living below poverty line (BPL) and above poverty line (APL). However, there is no uniform method to measure poverty. Different parameters are practiced by researchers and institutions for measurement of poverty. Within the economic circle, the new concept of poverty has come up which considers poverty in terms of 'human capabilities' (those who experience the most severe hardship i.e. the most deprived. In a post-globalized world order, humanity rests on imbricated systems of trade, economy, the environment and a massive, ever-expanding flow of ideas. In such a scenario, poverty threatens the very foundations of this fragile world....
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What is community? Explain why and how community identities are constructed.(IGNOU/UPSC/STATE EXAMS)

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 A community is a social unit, where people come together to share common interests and resources.  Communities construct their identity around the objective factors such as territorial locations, a shared historical memory, shared traditions, common rituals and practices and a common language and a real or perceived common ancestry. People all over the world are becoming increasingly conscious of their communal identities, the reasons are:- COLONIALISM: The process of colonization, which began with industrial revolution, is a key factor that has led to the identity consciousness among the diverse communities and also to the inter-community conflicts. The policy of divide and rule, identifying the various ranked and unranked communities, different caste, communal and ethnic brigades were encouraged to maintain their external symbols. This whole process gave rise to identity consciousness. THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS: Religious movement involve themselves in the proc...
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Constitutionalism (IGNOU/ UPSC/ STATE EXAMS)

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 Constitutionalism means limited government or limitation on government. It is an antithesis of arbitrary powers.  Constitutionalism recognizes the need for government with powers but at the same time insists that limitation be placed on those powers.  CONSTITUTION AS A FRAMEWORK: The constitution of a country is the framework within which the state and the entire political system operate by determining the limits of power of the sovereign and the rights of the people. Setting up a constitution achieves two fundamental objectives; i) It separates the state and the civil society ii) It frees state authority from the whims of a ruler. STATE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: When the state controls the affairs of the civil society, the system is totalitarianism. In societies driven by communal and ethnic extremism, sometimes the state becomes subservient to sectional interest. Therefore neutrality  of the sate power is essential condition of its stability. For  instance the very ...
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Civil society and its importance (IGNOU/UPSC/STATE EXAMS)

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  Civil society is a form of societal self- organization that allows for cooperation with the state and at the same time enables the flourishing of individuation. According to World Bank, "Civil society refers to the wide array of organization, labor unions, professional organization and foundations.                  CIVIL SOCIETY-DEMOCRACY: Democracy and civil society are related to each other. A healthy liberal democracy needs the support of a public 'that is organized for democracy, socialized to its norms and values, and committed not just to its myriad narrow interests but to larger, common civic end.' Alexis de Tocqueville in his writing on American politics laid the foundation of democracy-civil society nexus thesis. He thought America's democracy was sustained by the richness and diversity of its voluntary associations. CIVIL SOCIETY-STATE: Civil society is significant for the production of a critical rational discourse which p...
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Discuss the impact of globalization on the internal functioning of a state (IGNOU/UPSC/STATE EXAMS)

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 Globalization is the free movement of people, goods, and services across boundaries. In this era of globalization, several changes have been taking place in the functions of the state.  DEMOCRATIC DECISION MAKING: With the emergence of neo-liberalism, it has led to retreat of states creating more space for civil society and competitive markets. The Active intervention by agencies like World Bank and IMF lead to Structural Adjustment Programs and development projects, and trade sanctions, aid, military imports etc., has grave implications for democratic decision-making.  There is a change in the traditional notion of 'consent', which is an important core of democratic theory. The earlier notions of a social contract and electoral democracy based on the use of ballot box which leads to participatory democracy based upon a community of free and equal persons is no longer valid. DECREASE IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY OF STATE AND ROLE OF STATE IN INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY:  The pro...
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Identity politics in India(IGNOU/UPSC/STATE EXAMS)

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 Identity politics is when people of a particular race, ethnicity, gender or religion form alliances and organize politically to defend their group's interest. In India, we find that despite adoption of a liberal democratic polity after independence, communities and collective identities have remained powerful and continue to claim recognition. CASED BASED IDENTITY:  The overlaps of caste based discrimination with politics has not only made oppressed caste-groups to be accorded political freedom and recognition, but also raised consciousness about its potential as a political capital.                         The origin of caste based identity politics may be said to have its origin on the issue of providing the oppressed caste groups with state support in the form of protective discrimination. This group-identity based on caste is institutionalized  by caste-based political parties that profess to uphol...
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Economic consequences of migration (IGNOU/UPSC/STATE EXAMS)

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 Movement of people from their home to another city, state or country for a job, shelter or some other reasons is called migration.  Economic causes of migration         Migration impacts the rate of savings and accumulation in an economy. It is held that temporary migrants save a large fraction of their earnings because risk-averse migrants save for their return to a lower and less certain income and because the marginal utility derived from consumption while away from the family is low. But it may only raise the propensity to save temporarily. Migrants normally gain from migration unless it was not of migrant's own will. The average migrant household enjoys a higher standard than non-migrants who choose to reside without movement and no job opportunities in the region. Migration also affects the income of the people, both at origin and destination. In the long run the departure of skilled migrants can raise the returns of education and training of those l...
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Discuss the factors for the growth of regionalism in India (IGNOU/UPSC/STATE EXAMS)

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  Regionalism is an ideology and political movement that seeks to advance the causes of regions.  The origin of regionalism in India can be historically traced to many of the factors like cultural heritage, geographical isolation, ethnic loyalties etc.  At times, Regionalism can promote healthy competition and be a precursor to nationalism.  The first significant political expression of regionalism was in the form of the demands for the reorganization of the states on linguistic basis so that the major linguistic groups could be consolidated into states of their own.  The linguistic regionalism primarily emerged as a result of the alleged unequal distribution of scare resources among the different social-cultural sub-regions. Linguistic homogeneity also played role in the reorganization of the states.  On the ethnic and cultural basis, there are several factors for the rise of regionalism. For instance, regional identities based on commonality of religion i...
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Explain the role of media in Indian democracy (IGNOU/UPSC/STATE EXAMS)

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The Press or the Media is regarded as the fourth most powerful institution of democracy after Legislative, Executive and Judiciary, as it has the potential to mold the public opinion and influence the public policy. POLITICS AND MEDIA:                                                                    Government officials and political candidates use the media to advance their agendas. People rely more and more on the social media to judge how their leaders campaign, govern, shape public policy and communicate their ideas. They start following certain political groups by tweeting and gets engaged in political activities like writing blogs in support of a group or against a group, capturing violence videos and spreading news etc.                        ...
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Discuss the significance of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments in Indian democracy (IGNOU/UPSC/STATE EXAMS)

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      Local self government existed in India since ancient times, but it was regarded as a failed God by some scholars. But the 73rd and 74th amendment, which was passed in 1992 and came into force in 1994, has virtually revolutionized the idea of local self-government. It has bestowed constitutional status and has rejuvenated the landmark development in the evolution of democratic decentralization in the country. 73rd Amendment Act:      The 73rd Amendment act provides for a three-tier Panchayat Raj system at the village, intermediate (block or taluka) and district levels. This act acknowledges the role of Gram Sabha in the empowerment of the rural people and provided for the strengthening of the Gram Sabhas for the successful functioning of the PRIs. The Gram Sabha consists of all the residents of a village, and those above 18 years of age are on the electoral rolls of a village. These functioning of Gram Sabha include discussion on the annual statement o...
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Issues of Human Rights (IGNOU/UPSC/STATE EXAMS)

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   Human Rights are rights we have simply because we exist as human beings; they are not granted by any state. These universal rights are inherent to us all regardless of nationality, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language or any other status.                                                              In the hope of attracting Transnational Corporations' Accountability (TNC) investing, nations bid against each other to offer the lowest levels of environmental, labor and human rights regulation. This competitiveness is directly contributing towards fewer social benefits, lower salaries of workers and violation of many social, political and trade union rights.    Women employees have faced discrimination during pregnancy. It is regrettable that neither the corporations nor the government see...
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Indigenous people (IGNOU/UPSC/STATE EXAMS)

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  The term indigenous people  refer to communities which share a common characteristics such as; * self identification and acceptance at individual and community level.            * historical continuity with pre-colonial societies.                                * strong attachment to ancestral territories and natural resources.                * distinct social, spiritual, political, legal or economic system.  The spread of indigenous people were related to the kind of development at the international level. The establishment of League of nation in 1919 has raised indigenous issues. The wave of de-colonization in the third world aroused sympathy for those ethnic groups that had been subjected to internal colonization. These opened the way for the question of the indigenous peoples to be raised as a separate issue within the...
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Analyze the working of the federal system in India (IGNOU/UPSC/STATE EXAMS)

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 Federalism is a system where there is division of power and dual polity. In India, it shows the division of powers between the Union and the state. However, India acquires a quasi-federal character  as  it does not follow a rigid form of a federal state, instead we can see a paramount of Union with that of state. During the first four decades of the working of the constitution, India saw a strong centralization of federalism where the Union government accumulated powers beyond its constitutional competence.  The Union government adopted several methods of encroachment: the foremost being its exclusive power of defining what is national and public interest. We can also see that, the seventh schedule makes entries of main subjects only. As a consequences, the center has encroached even upon the subjects, originally assigned to the sates. For instance, under entry 52, Parliament has passed the (Industries Development and Regulation) Act 1951. As a result, the union now...
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