UPSC PSIR Paper 2 Syllabus

 Paper 2A - Comparative Political Analysis and International Relations

  1. Comparative Politics:
    • Nature and Major Approaches
    • Political Economy and
    • Political Sociology Perspectives
    • Limitations of the comparative method
  2. State in Comparative Perspective: Characteristics of changing nature of state in
    • Capitalist and Socialist Economies
    • Advanced industrial societies and developing societies
  3. Politics of Representation and Participation
    • Political parties
    • Pressure groups and Social movements in advanced industrial and developing societies
  4. Globalisation: Responses from developed and developing societies 
  5. Approaches to the study of International Relations:
    • Idealist
    • Realist
    • Marxist
    • Functionalist and 
    • Systems theory
  6. Key concepts of International Relations:
    • National Interest and
    • Security and Power
    • Balance of power and deterrence
    • Transnational actors and collective security
    • World Capitalist economy and Globalisation
  7. Changing International Political Order:
    • Cold war
      • Rise of Super Powers
      • Strategic and Ideological Bipolarity
      • Arms race and cold war
      • Nuclear threat
    • NAM: Aims and Achievements
    • Post cold war
      • Collapse of the Soviet Union
      • Unipolarity and American Hegemony
      • Relevance of Non-Alignment in the contemporary world
  8. Evolution of the International Economic System:
    • From Brettonwoods to WTO
    • Socialist economies and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA)
    • Third World demand for New International Economic Order
    • Globalisation of the world economy
  9. United Nations: 
    • Envisaged role and actual record
    • Specialized UN agencies - aims and functioning
    • Need for UN reforms
  10. Regionalisation of World Politics: EU, ASEAN, APEC, AARC, NAFTA
  11. Contemporary Global Concerns:
    • Democracy
    • Human Rights
    • Environment
    • Gender Justice
    • Terrorism
    • Nuclear Proliferation
Paper 2B: India and the World
  1. Indian Foreign Policy:
    • Determinants of foreign policy
    • The institutions of policy making
    • Continuity and Change
  2. NAM
    • India's contribution to the NAM
    • Different Phases of NAM
    • Current role of NAM
  3. India and South Asia:
    • Regional Cooperation: SAARC - past performance and future prospects
    • South Asia as a Free Trade Area
    • India's 'Look East' policy
    • Impediments to regional cooperation:
      • River Water disputes
      • Illegal cross border migration
      • Ethnic
  4. India and the Global South: 
    • Relations with Africa and Latin America
    • Leadership role in the demand for NIEO and WTO negotiations
  5. India and the Global centres of power: USA, EU, Japan, China and Russia
  6. India and the UN System:
    • Role in UN Peace-keeping
    • Demand for Permanent Seat in the Security Council
  7. India and the Nuclear Question: Changing perceptions and policy
  8. Recent developments in Indian Foreign policy:
    • India's position on the recent crisis in
      • Afghanistan
      • Iraq and
      • West Asia
    • Growing relations with US and Israel
    • Vision of the new World Order










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