Almond’s Developmental Approach to Political System

2. 
The Structural Functional approach is a product
of behavioral revolution in American political
studies after 2nd World War.
Popularity of Marxist Approach compelled
American Social Scientist to study the informal
aspects of politics
The idea of functional adaptability is old but its
application over political life is new.
(Montesquieu’s doctrine of Separation of Power,
Darwin idea of survival)
Historical and Contextual Profile

3. 
Gabriel Almond is accepted as the most
representative and systematic exponent of
functional approach. He applied this
approach in his major works:
1. The Politics of the Developing Areas
2. Comparative Politics – A Developmental Approach
3. Crisis, Choices and Change: historical studies of
Political Development
Historical and Contextual Profile

4. 
Political System
“A system of interaction to be found in all independent
societies, which performs the function of integration
and adaption (both internally and externally - other
societies) by means of the employment or threat of
employment of more or less legitimate physical
compulsion”.
This term is used to replace the concept like
government and state.(Universal application of theory)
Basic Concepts of Almond’s
Approach

5. 
Political Structure
A structure is a set of roles – political role. (Judgeship is
a role but a court is a structure of roles.)
“The observable activities which make up the political
system”
Political Culture
It means the pattern of individual attitudes and orientation
towards politics among the members of political system.
“Propensities of political system”
Basic Concepts of Almond’s
Approach

6. 
Functions of Political System
A system performs function at three levels.
1. Capability level: how the behavior of political
system affects other social system.
2. Conversion Level: the conversion of demands
(inputs) into decision (outputs)
3. The System Level: Maintenance and adaption of
system ( socialization and recruitment)
Basic Concepts of Almond’s
Approach

7. 
 The idea of political development is central in
Almond functional analysis.
 Hypothesis of Almond Political development
Theory
“A structurally differentiated political system
with a secularized political culture will have an
increased capability to shape its domestic and
international environment”
Theory of Political Development

8. 
From above hypothesis we can observe Almond’s
criterion for political development
 Structural Differentiation: role specialization
 Secularization: rational, analytical and empirical
approach
Criterion of Political Development

9. 
 Development results when existing structures and
culture of the political system is unable to cope with
the challenges without structural differentiation and
secularization.
1. State Building: war, civil war, change in the goals of
elite.
2. Nation Building: association of people with smaller
tribes, ethnic identities
3. Participation: demand for share in political power
4. Distribution: distribution of resources without any
discrimination
Challenges For a Political System

10. 
Strengths
1. Almond formulates a common framework for comparing
political system of different sizes, institutions and
background.
2. It improves our capacity to predict the trend of political
development in modernizing states from selected
indicators
3. He has liberated the field of comparative study from
parochial influences
4. He has developed extensive political vocabulary to make
his approach more universal.
Evaluation of Almond’s Approach

11. 
Weaknesses
 Terminological Ambiguities:
The precise distinction between concepts becomes
obscured when they are put in the operational test. For
Interest articulation, interest aggregation, boundaries,
structure, functions have loose meaning
Evaluation of Almond’s Approach

12. 
 Ideologically Conservativ+e
1. The concepts of structure and system have not been put in a
historical perspective but in a purely existential framework
2. The concept of capability also refers to establish a
accommodating relationship between system and
environment. It means the maintenance of ruling elite
3. The functional categories have been derived from western
system
4. Almond is equating political development with democracy
5. He is less sensitized to the differences between developing
countries(Challenges can occur at once) and western societies
Evaluation of Almond’s Approach

13. 
End