MPSC Political Science Syllabus 2023: Download Free PDF Now!

Paper‐ I (subject code 1049)

Political Theory and Indian Politics

• Political Theory: meaning and approaches. 
• Theories of state: Liberal, Neo-liberal, Marxist, Pluralist, post-colonial, and Feminist.
• Justice: Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawl’s theory of justice and its communitarian critiques. 
• Equality: Social, political, and economic; the relationship between equality and freedom; Affirmative action. 
• Rights: Meaning and theories; different kinds of rights; Concept of Human Rights.
• Democracy: Classical and contemporary theories; different models of democracy— representative, participatory and deliberative. 
• Concept of power: hegemony, ideology, and legitimacy. 
• Political Ideologies: Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism, and Feminism. 
• Indian Political Thought: Dharmashastra, Arthashastra, and Buddhist Traditions; Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, M. K. Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, M. N. Roy. 
• Western Political Thought: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, John S. Mill, Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt.

Indian Government and Politics

• Indian Nationalism : (a) Political Strategies of India’s Freedom Struggle: Constitutionalism to mass Satyagraha, Non-cooperation, Civil Disobedience; Militant and Revolutionary Movements, Peasant and Workers Movements. (b) Perspectives on Indian National Movement; Liberal, Socialist, and Marxist; Radical Humanist and Dalit.
• Making of the Indian Constitution: Legacies of the British rule; different social and political perspectives.
• Salient Features of the Indian Constitution: The Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles; Parliamentary System and Amendment Procedures; Judicial Review, and Basic Structure doctrine. 
• (a) Principal Organs of the Union Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature, and Supreme Court. (b) Principal Organs of the State Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature, and High Courts.
• Grassroots Democracy: Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; Significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments; Grassroot movements
• Statutory Institutions/Commissions: Election Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, Finance Commission, Union Public Service Commission, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Women; National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Minorities, National Backward Classes Commission. 
• Federalism: Constitutional provisions; changing nature of center-state relations; integrationist tendencies and regional aspirations; inter-state disputes.
• Planning and Economic Development: Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; Role of planning and public sector; Green Revolution, land reforms and agrarian relations; liberalization and economic reforms.
• Caste, Religion, and Ethnicity in Indian Politics.
• Party System: National and regional political parties, ideological and social bases of parties; Patterns of coalition politics; Pressure groups, trends in electoral behavior; changing socioeconomic profile of Legislators.
•  Social Movement: Civil liberties and human rights movements; women’s movements; environmentalist movements. 

Paper‐II (subject code 1050)

Comparative Politics and International Relations 

• Comparative Politics: Nature and major approaches; Political economy and political sociology perspectives; Limitations of the comparative method.
• State in Comparative Perspective: Characteristics and changing nature of the State in capitalist and socialist economies, and advanced industrial and developing societies.
• Politics of Representation and Participation: Political parties, pressure groups, and social movements in advanced industrial and developing societies.
• Globalisation: Responses from developed and developing societies
• Approaches to the Study of International Relations: Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist, and Systems theory. 
• Key Concepts in International Relations: National interest, security, and power; Balance of power and deterrence; Transnational actors and collective security; World capitalist economy and globalization. 
• Changing International Political Order : (a) Rise of super powers; Strategic and ideological Bipolarity, arms race and cold war; Nuclear threat; (b) Non-aligned Movement: Aims and achievements. (c) The collapse of the Soviet Union; Unipolarity and American hegemony; Relevance of non-alignment in the contemporary world. 
• Evolution of the International Economic System: From Brettonwoods to WTO; Socialist economies and the CMEA (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance); Third World demand for new international economic order; Globalisation of the world economy.
• United Nations: Envisaged role and actual record; Specialized UN agencies—aims and functioning; the need for UN reforms. 
• Regionalisation of World Politics: EU, ASEAN, APEC, AARC, NAFTA.
• Contemporary Global Concerns: Democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice terrorism, nuclear proliferation

India and the World

• Indian Foreign Policy: Determinants of foreign policy; the institutions of policy-making; Continuity and change.
• India’s Contribution to the Non-Alignment Movement Different phases; Current role.
• India and South Asia : (a) Regional Co-operation: SAARC-past performance and future prospects. (b) South Asia as a Free Trade Area. (c) India’s “Look East” policy. (d) Impediments to regional cooperation: River water disputes; illegal cross-border migration; Ethnic conflicts and insurgencies; Border disputes.
• India and the Global South: Relations with Africa and Latin America; Leadership role in the demand for NIEO and WTO negotiations.
• India and the Global Centres of Power: USA, EU, Japan, China, and Russia
• India and the UN System: Role in UN Peace-keeping; Demand for Permanent Seat in the Security Council. 
• India and the Nuclear Question: Changing perceptions and policy.
• Recent developments in Indian Foreign Policy: India’s position on the recent crises in Afghanistan, Iraq, and West Asia, growing relations with the US and Isreal; Vision of a new world order.

1

General Studies

200

100

2 hours

2

Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT)

200

80

2 hours

Paper 1 (Code 1001)

Marathi 

300

Marathi 

3 hours

Qualifying with 25 % marks

Conventional / Descriptive

Paper 2 (Code 1002)

English 

300

English 

3 hours

Papers to be counted for Merit

Paper 3 (Code 1003)

Essay 

250

Marathi/ English 

3 hours

Mandatory 

Paper 4 (Code 1004)

General Studies - 1

250

Marathi/ English 

3 hours

Paper 5 (Code 1005)

General Studies - 2

250

Marathi/ English 

3 hours

Paper 6 (Code 1006)

General Studies - 3

250

Marathi/ English 

3 hours

Paper 7 (Code 1007)

General Studies - 4

250

Marathi/ English 

3 hours

Paper 8

Optional Subject Paper No: 1

250

Marathi/ English 

3 hours

Paper 9

Optional Subject Paper No: 2

250

Marathi/ English 

3 hours

Year

Paper I

Paper II

2014

MPSC Political Science Paper - I

MPSC Political Science Paper - II

2015

MPSC Political Science Paper - I

MPSC Political Science Paper - II

2016

MPSC Political Science Paper - I

MPSC Political Science Paper - II

2017

MPSC Political Science Paper - I

MPSC Political Science Paper - II

2018

MPSC Political Science Paper - I

MPSC Political Science Paper - II

2019

MPSC Political Science Paper - I

MPSC Political Science Paper - II

2020

MPSC Political Science Paper - I

MPSC Political Science Paper - II

2021

MPSC Political Science Paper - I

MPSC Political Science Paper - II