Political Science (JH)

About this programme

The study of politics as an academic subject involves, among other things, thinking about how these decisions get made. If it is not possible to keep everyone happy, whose views should prevail and why? If governments do not always make what seems to be the most ‘rational’ decision on economic policy, why not? How much say do ordinary people have in policymaking, and is it feasible to make the decision making process more open? Other big questions we study include issues such as: why don’t democracies go to war with each other? Why do civil wars last so long? Why are ethnic conflicts more difficult to resolve then other forms of conflict?