Political science studies the political life of society and is the basis for the development and further implementation of scientific developments in real politics. Political scientists are considering ways of organizing society, real-life political systems, types of regimes, the activities of public organizations and political parties, patterns of political behavior, and so on. One of the prominent American political scientists David Easton dealt with these issues.
Brief curriculum vitae
One of the leading political scientists in the United States was born on June 24, 1917 in Toronto, Canada. In 1939 he graduated from the Faculty of Humanities at a university in his native city, and in 1943 he received a master's degree. In 1947, David Easton became a Ph.D. at Harvard and immediately began his career at the University of Chicago. He worked as an assistant in the department of political science. He was a postgraduate teacher, since 1981 he became a professor at the University of California (Irvine, California).
In 1968-1969, the famous American political scientist served as president of the American Political Science Association. This is a professional association of students and political scientists, which organizes conferences, publishes three academic journals, sponsors seminars and other events for political scientists with the participation of politicians, the media and the general public. In 1970, Devil Easton received his doctorate in law from the Canadian State University of McMaster, and in 1972 attended lectures at Kalamazoo College.
In 1984, Easton was elected Vice President of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He remained in this position until 1990. Actively engaged in scientific activities until 1995. In 1995, the last significant work was published (not widely used in Russia). Later he wrote separate works on the development and current state of political science and the political socialization of children, taught courses on political theory, the basics of political science and empirical political theory. D. Easton was married to Victoria Johnstone. In this marriage, one son was born. David Easton's biography ended July 19, 2014.
Scientific activity of an American political scientist
The main contribution of a political scientist to science is related to the application of the principles of system analysis to the consideration of the functioning of modern political systems and the study of the processes of political socialization. The scientist's emphasis is on the dynamism of political systems, the role of various structures in maintaining the continuity of the functioning of the system. David Easton was the first to propose a systematic presentation of the theory of the political system in his works “Political System” (1953), “The Structure of Political Analysis” (1965) and others.
In the last years of his work, David Easton turned to structural constraints - the second main element that underlies political systems, wrote a book about the influence of political structure on various aspects of socio-political life. At the University of California, Easton was involved in a project (organized and chaired a group of political scientists from many countries) to study the current state of political science, and in another project, he examined the impact on government policy of differences in the structure and organization of political systems in different countries of the world.
Easton's Definition of a Political System
The theory of political science, which D. Easton was interested in, was developed by many scientists, but it was he who most successfully applied the principles and methods of analysis to the study of political systems. A political scientist defines a political system as a specific interaction of power structures and political institutions that authoritatively distribute spiritual and material values in society. This helps prevent conflicts between social groups and individual members of society.
Considering the political system from this point of view, it is possible to determine the main functions of the system: the ability to distribute values in the most optimal way and convince people that this distribution is mandatory. Based on these statements, David Easton proposed a model of the political system, which consists of three elements: input, conversion, output.
Method Advantages
The system analysis technique proposed by the American political scientist has two main advantages. Firstly, it allows us to unequivocally assert that any political system does not remain static, but is constantly changing, dynamically developing and functioning according to its own laws. Secondly, D. Easton reveals the role of the structure of the political system in supporting its constant functioning, and deeply analyzes the ongoing processes.
Political system model: entry, conversion, exit
According to D. Easton’s political theory, the needs and demands of society and the demands of citizens are focused on the input of any political system. Requirements are divided into external and internal. External come from the individual, a particular social group, and internal come from the political system itself. Specific simple requirements reflect indignation, dissatisfaction with certain phenomena in society, real problems that require specific solutions. At the exit of the political system, specific decisions are made and actions are taken that have the status of mandatory for all citizens.
David Easton shares the requirements of citizens and public groups into distribution, regulatory, and communicative ones. Distributive issues include wages, organizations, problems of education, social security, and health protection. Regulatory requirements include addressing public safety issues, controlling the production and distribution of goods, and fighting crime. Communicative - protection of rights and freedoms, ownership of information.
Different political systems relate differently to the nature of demands. So, totalitarian regimes suppress impulses and consciously manipulate them. But the prerequisite for the existence of such a system remains the effectiveness of actions. Efficiency in such conditions is achieved through the introduction of a policy of the uniform distribution of goods and services. This allows you to provide a certain (usually low) level of well-being of the population and stable support, confidence in the future.
Ways to respond to the current situation
The response factors in the Easton concept are source factors, that is, needs, requirements and requests. This is not the final conversion of requests into real actions, but only a fragment of the cycle of actions. David Easton called this piece a "feedback loop." This is a way of adapting social institutions of power to specific situations, the search for connections, the consequences of the response of political structures. Thus, communication is a fundamental mechanism for eliminating social tension. But this function is only performed if the authorities respond to impulses in a timely manner.
