Political Ideas and a Political Science for Policy

Abstract

Early in its development, political science established itself as part of modern secular authority, with something to say about government and politics. This achievement did not, though, lead to much noticeable impact on governance and policy, with the exception of administrative reforms. The past five decades have witnessed impressive growth in influence, as political science self-confidently embraced an idea-driven policy science. Political behaviorism, fashioned as a response to the loss of Enlightenment naiveté, was a political as well as a science project, and its successes, on both fronts, drew many to a new type of policy science. A leading example is neoconservatism, whose practioner political scientists linked new political ideas with applied social science as a basis for challenging assumptions of the regulatory welfare state. By the end of the twentieth century, political science had returned to its earliest mission(s)—building a better science and strengthening democratic practice.