Political Sociology studies politics at four levels.
(1) Political conflict and struggle among nations i.e. the sociology of international relations.
(2) The nature and role of the state within various societies.
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(3) The nature and organisation of political movements and parties.
(4) The participation of the individual in politics.
The following main areas of study in Political Sociology can be identified:
(a) General nature and functions of the state and its political system.
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(b) Nature of political parties, pressure groups and all other political organisations and movements.
(c) Patterns of political participation and political behaviour, including non- participation of the people e.g., empirical research of popular participation in politics and voting behaviour.
(d) Power and domination in society.
(e) Political elites and masses and the extent to which modern societies can be said to be dominated by a ruling class.
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(f) Relations among nations.
Political sociology studies human being as a social-political being and his behaviour in society. No one deny the fact that human political behaviour in just one aspect of human behaviour in environment, particularly in society.
Political behaviour is always influenced by social behaviour, economic well-being and morality. More particularly it is deterministically influenced by the system of social relations and interactions among all the members of his society.
Man is born in a family and gets all his initial values and pattern of behaviour from his family and peer groups. This provides him with the roots for his political behaviour and relations. Hence, the study of human political behaviour can be systematically pursued only by studying it in its social context. Political Sociology serves this necessity.
