How Do Political Scientists Differ from One Another?

Political scientists generally take either a traditional or behavioral approach to the politics they are studying.

Traditionalists study court cases, theories and values. They study how politics works and how effective it is in different situations.

Behaviorists are just the opposite. They tend to stay away from studying values, theories and morals. They stick to the facts.

An example of what a traditionalist might study include: the effectiveness of a new president's administration at mid-term (after 2 years in office). Or they might research how many senators have a Plato-esque belief system on how government should be run.

Behaviorists on the other hand might poll how many people voted in 2004. They usually use scientific method and experiments to test their hypotheses. They might also research how putting political candidates' photos on ballots would increase the number of illiterate voters at the polls.

Political scientists differ in the way they approach politics. Some are behaviorists and some are traditionalists. The behaviorists study facts. The traditionalists study morals, values, court cases, philosophies, and theories. Who's to say which way is better or more effective? They are both efficient, each for different types of politics.