The article “An Approach to the Analysis of Political systems” by David Easton examines the different parts of a political system as a unit of an analysis. The aim of the article is to explore the diagrammatic expression of the political system. Some of the items available in the entire system include the inputs, outputs, feedback, the political system, and the environment. Easton thus examines the different attributes of each of the items in the system. However, much consideration is given to the analysis of the inputs and outputs of the political system.
Summary of Author’s Main Arguments
Easton begins the article by identifying the definition and importance of politics. Politics is identified as a study that is concerned with understanding how authoritative decisions are usually made and then executed for a society. The analysis of the politics thus involves studying the political practices and operations of various institution to determine what is contained in a political unit. When analyzing this, one should consider that the larger political canvas does not stand alone but is related hence leading to a political system. The political system is identified to be distinguishable from the social activity which is the environment which it operates. The political system is identified through a diagram that has inputs of demands and supports, outputs of decisions and policies, and a feedback.
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The different attributes of the political system are then identified as properties of identification, inputs and outputs, differentiation within a system, and integration of a system. The properties of identification involve what makes a political system unique and it can be identified by units of a political system which are political actions and boundaries dividing it to the specific setting and environment. Political systems need inputs to work and it produces consequences for the society which are referred to as outputs. The differentiation of the system occurs because the outputs are different from the inputs.
The article then considers the demands of the political system as an input. Demands were identified as the requirements being made by the persons or groups in the society that may not be satisfied. Easton then analyzes some of the key questions with regard to the demands. One question is how demands arise and have a specific character in the society. External demands are identified to come from the society and culture while internal demands come from political norms that have been established. The next question is how demands are transformed into issues. For this question, Easton observes that data is required to observe how demand becomes issues.
The article then considers the support of the political system as an input. Support is identified as the energy in the form of actions and orientations that promote a political system and keep it running. Such a form of support could come in the form of an internal state of feelings. Easton then analyzes the domain of support of and the quantity and scope of support of the political system. The domain of support is identified as the political community which involves the members, the regime which involves rules of the game or constitutional principles, and the government that undertakes concrete negotiation tasks. The quantity and scope of support was identified in terms of the number of members and impact. It was identified that a small number of members could have a large scope by having support that keeps the system going.
The different mechanisms of the support were also identified where the output was identified as one of the forms of support. Output was identified as a support when it partly meets the demands of the members and community. Politicization was also identified as a mechanism of support. Politicization was identified as the kind of support that was accumulated through the use of past decisions and is being reinforced by political patterns learned in society. It was identified as a learning process that everyone in the political system goes through right from the time they are born through the teen age.
Evidence and Methods Used to Support Argument
The author supports his arguments by first making use of the previous book on Political Systems. The current literature is thus an addition to the previous material. The author makes use of secondary sources to illustrate the points. However, the use of such sources is limited as there are only 6 external sources used throughout. Easton thus raises his arguments by making opinions and postulating theories. He uses analogies such as comparing the human organism system to that of the political system in order to enable understanding of how the political system functions. He also makes use of scientific theories by mentioning a state of entropy and observing that all systems require inputs and outputs so as to function effectively.
Interesting Points of View
One of the interesting aspects in the study was the observation that support is needed in the political system. Easton observes that support involves the internal forms of behavior that are also known as states of mind. It involves the state of feelings on the part of the person and their state of mind. This was a new dimension to observe that people can support political systems when they have internal feelings that are oriented positively towards the system. When considering the fact that very few members can support a system, it may show that they have not been affected by national decisions or have not perceived that they have been affected. This presents a new idea regarding how to realize political change. Political change requires support through the feelings and state of mind of members and the members understanding how they are being affected by political decisions.
The topic of politicization which indicated that it is a system of political life where political patterns are learned by members of the society was also interesting. The point made me realize that the political process and political roles are usually acquired right from the time one is born. This provides an understanding as to why some people can choose to conform to a system even though it may not be beneficial for them. This is because the system of politicizing ensures that people that choose to conform experience rewards while those that choose to change or go against the system experience severe punishments.
Significance and Implications of The Work Reviewed
One of the implications for the work is that it can assist policymakers and politicians understand the different functions of the government, political parties, and communities. The function of the government in the political system was identified to be involved in the process of negotiating settlements. Political leaders would benefit from the understanding as they would concentrate their efforts in gaining support through trying to meet the demands of the public. The understanding would be that they may not have to meet all the demands but should also capitalize through politicization through parties. For members of the public, one of the points that was identified was that the political system is built through politicization where people are put in a state of conformity. This understanding should make people ready to go against the political system if they believe does not meet their needs and expect severe consequences.
Conclusion
The article "An Approach to the Analysis of Political System" by David Easton provides an understanding of the political system by identifying the role that inputs and outputs play to ensure that the system functions well. The inputs of demands and support were critically analyzed. The demands were identified as the needs of that the society wants the political system to accomplish. Support was identified to be possible through meeting the demands and the process of politicization. The understanding of the political system is important when one wants to realize change in the society.
