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Book list: PSIR Optional

List of books I referred to for PSIR Optional for CSE 2014

Following is a list of books, notes and websites that I had referred to for my optional, Political Science and International Relations... I hope this will be of help to aspirants. those of you asking me to upload my own notes, they're no different from the notes available in the market. I recommend that everyone should make their own notes. This not only helps you remember better but also improves your answer writing.

BOOK LIST FOR POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

PAPER-I

Political Theory and Indian Politics

Political Theory

SERIAL NO.TOPICBOOKS/NOTES
1Political Theory: meaning and approaches.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, An Introduction to Political Theory by Rajeev Bhargav and Ashok Acharya, Poltical Theory by O.P. Gauba
2Theories of the State: Liberal, Neoliberal, Marxist, Pluralist, Post-colonial and feminist.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, An Introduction to Political Theory by Rajeev Bhargav and Ashok Acharya, some internet searches
3Justice: Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawls’ theory of justice and its communitarian critiques.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, An Introduction to Political Theory by Rajeev Bhargav and Ashok Acharya
4Equality: Social, political and economic; relationship between equality and freedom; Affirmative action.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, An Introduction to Political Theory by Rajeev Bhargav and Ashok Acharya
5Rights: Meaning and theories; different kinds of rights; concept of Human Rights.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, An Introduction to Political Theory by Rajeev Bhargav and Ashok Acharya
6Democracy: Classical and contemporary theories; different models of democracy – representative, participatory and deliberative.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, An Introduction to Political Theory by Rajeev Bhargav and Ashok Acharya
7Concept of power, hegemony, ideology and legitimacy.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, internet search
8Political Ideologies: Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism and Feminism.Political Ideologies by Andrew Heywood
9Indian Political Thought: Dharamshastra, Arthashastra and Buddhist traditions; Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, M.K. Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, M.N. Roy.Makers of Modern India by Ram Chandra Guha, Indian Political Thought by M.P. Singh and Himanshu Roy, internet search
10Western Political Thought: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, John S. Mill, Marx, Gramsci, and Hannah Arendt.Western Political Thought-from Plato to Marx by Subrat Mukherjee and Sushila Ramaswamy, internet search for Gramsci and Arendt

Indian Government and Politics

SERIAL NO.TOPICBOOKS/NOTES

1

(a)

(b)

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.

Shubhra Ma’am’s notes
2Making of the Indian Constitution: Legacies of the British rule; different social and political perspectives.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes
3Salient Features of the Indian Constitution: The Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles; Parliamentary System and Amendment Procedures; Judicial Review and Basic Structure doctrine.Indian Polity by Laxmikanth, Shubhra Ma’am’s notes

4 (a)

(b)

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.

Indian Polity by Laxmikanth, Shubhra Ma’am’s notes
5Grassroots Democracy: Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments; Grassroot movements.Indian Polity by Laxmikanth, Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, Our Political System by Subhash Kashyap
6Statutory 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.Indian Polity by Laxmikanth, Shubhra Ma’am’s notes
7Federalism: Constitutional provisions; changing nature of centre-state relations; integrationist tendencies and regional aspirations; inter-state disputes.Indian Polity by Laxmikanth, Shubhra Ma’am’s notes
8Planning and Economic Development : Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; role of planning and public sector; Green Revolution, land reforms and agrarian relations; liberalization and economic reforms.Indian Polity by Laxmikanth, Shubhra Ma’am’s notes
9Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian Politics.Indian Polity by Laxmikanth, Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, Oxford Companion to Politics in India
10Party 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.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes
11Social Movements: Civil liberties and human rights movements; women’s movements; environmentalist movements.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes

PAPER-II

Comparative Politics and International Relations 

Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics:

SERIAL NO.TOPICBOOK/NOTES
1Comparative Politics: Nature and major approaches; political economy and political sociology perspectives; limitations of the comparative method.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, Comparative Politics by J.C. Johari
2State in comparative perspective: Characteristics and changing nature of the State in capitalist and socialist economies, and, advanced industrial and developing societies.Same as in Paper I Political Theory, Shubhra Ma’am’s notes
3Politics of Representation and Participation: Political parties, pressure groups and social movements in advanced industrial and developing societies.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, Comparative Politics by J.C. Johari
4Globalisation: Responses from developed and developing societies.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, internet search
5Approaches to the Study of International Relations: Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist and Systems theory.International Relations by Peu Ghosh
6Key concepts in International Relations: National interest, Security and power; Balance of power and deterrence; Transnational actors and collective security; World capitalist economy and globalisation.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, International Relations by Peu Ghosh

7 (a)

(b)

(c)

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.

Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, International Relations by Peu Ghosh
8Evolution 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.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, International Relations by Peu Ghosh
9United Nations: Envisaged role and actual record; specialized UN agencies-aims and functioning; need for UN reforms.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, International Relations by Peu Ghosh, mea.gov.in
10Regionalisation of World Politics: EU, ASEAN, APEC, SAARC, NAFTA.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, International Relations by Peu Ghosh, mea.gov.in, websites of the mentioned organisations
11Contemporary Global Concerns: Democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice, terrorism, nuclear proliferation.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, International Relations by Peu Ghosh, internet search

India and The World:

SERIAL NO.TOPICBOOK/NOTES
1Indian Foreign Policy: Determinants of foreign policy; institutions of policy-making; continuity and change.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, International Relations by Peu Ghosh, mea.gov.in
2India’s Contribution to the Non-Alignment Movement: Different phases; current role.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, International Relations by Peu Ghosh

3

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

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.

Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, mea.gov.in, internet search, EPW
4India and the Global South: Relations with Africa and Latin America; leadership role in the demand for NIEO and WTO negotiations.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, mea.gov.in, internet search, EPW
5India and the Global Centres of Power: USA, EU, Japan, China and Russia.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, mea.gov.in, internet search, EPW
6India and the UN System: Role in UN Peace-keeping; demand for Permanent Seat in the Security Council.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, mea.gov.in, UN website, internet search, EPW
7India and the Nuclear Question: Changing perceptions and policy.Shubhra Ma’am’s notes, mea.gov.in, internet search, article called Toward a ‘force-in-being’: the logic, structure, and utility of India's emerging nuclear posture by Ashley Tellis, EPW
8Recent 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.Mea.gov.in, internet search, EPW
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