Political Science Preliminary Exam Syllabus for APSC Civil Services. Candidates with Political Science as an optional subject may participate in the preliminary stage of the Combined Competitive Examination. The complete Political Science syllabus for the APSC Assam Civil Services Prelims exam is listed here.

Political Science Syllabus for APSC (Prelims):

Unit – I	(a) Nature and scope of political science, Its relationship with other social sciences. (b) Origin of the State – Social Contract Theory and Evolutionary Theory. (c) Functions of the State – Leissex Faire and Socialistic. Theories – Welfare State (d) Democracy and Dictatorship. (e) Sovereignty – Characteristics and kinds. (f) Law – Liberty and Equality.
Unit – II	(a) Basic features of the Indian Constitution. (b) Indian Parliament – Executive and Judiciary. (c) Governor and Chief Minister of an Indian State. (d) Present Local Self Government in Assam. (e) Union Public Service Commission and State Public Service Commission.
Unit -III	Constitutions of U.K. and U.S.A.
Unit – IV	The Organs of the U.N.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

1. A History Of Political Thought: Plato To Marx – Mukherjee and Susheela Ramaswamy

From the time of Pluto to the time of Marx, this book explores political tradition. It begins with the earliest known political theory offered by Greek thinkers like Plato and Aristotle in antiquity. It continues with Italian Renaissance intellectuals like Machiavelli. We obtain an overview and changes in political ideas over the ages, starting with Hegel’s political views in the 18th century and ending with Marx’s political ideas. The emphasis is on how contemporary political theorists view classical philosophers.

2. Introduction to Political Theory – O P Gauba

This book is so great since it covers all of the crucial exam-related subjects and is good for improving your understanding of the subject matter in question.

3. Political Theory – Rajeev Bhargava

A revolutionary text on political theory, Political Theory: An Introduction encourages students to develop an Indian political theory that results from reflection on and interaction with Indian social and political processes. It encourages students in applying theories to current concerns by incorporating Indian cases and contexts into theoretical debates. Its unique features include a thorough reading list, discussion points, and cross-referencing of key terms.

4. Indian Polity by Laxmikant- for basic coverage

The book “Indian Polity”, 6th edition is a must-read for the aspirants appearing for the Civil Services Examinations as well as the other state Services Examinations. It is conceived to cater to the requirements of not just students appearing for competitive examinations but also postgraduates, research scholars, academics and general readers who are interested in the country’s political, Civil and constitutional issues. The extant chapters have been thoroughly revised and updated as per the recent developments.

5. Our Constitution – Subhash Kashyap

It is a comprehensive guide on the Indian Parliament by Subhash C. Kashyap, who is a former Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha Secretariat (1984-1990), as well as a former Secretary-General of the 7th, 8th and 9th Lok Sabha. Being a distinguished scholar and a well-known political scientist, Kashyap has detailed knowledge of the roles and laws of the Indian Constitution. With thorough research and personal understanding, Kashyap has framed a detailed account of the functioning of the Indian government. It is a complete narration of the evolution of the Indian Parliament from the beginning to its present form.

6. Politics in India – Rajni Kothari

That a diverse country like India has succeeded for over half a century as a thriving democracy raises many questions about the relationship between cultural diversity and social and economic inequality; the robustness of some institutions and the weakness of others; the negotiation of political space, ideologies, and identities by the state, political parties, and civil society; the capacity of the state to redistribute wealth and alleviate poverty; and the perceptions of India on the global stage. The Oxford Companion to Politics in India provides answers through the most comprehensive survey of the Indian political system to date. The depth and breadth of issues covered range from elections to economic reforms; business and politics to redistribution and social justice; coalition politics to judicial activism; and foreign policy.

7. Use Internet/google for concept clarification/further details

8. Wikipedia.org -for International Organizations

9. Polity – Online Study Materials

10. Assam Polity – Online Study Materials

11. Polity – Online Study Materials