Time, Politics, and Political Science

Abstract

Abstract The language of politics—whether domestic or international—is saturated with time-related references. So is the language of political science, whether it relates to substantive concerns, concepts, theories, or methods. The emphasis on time in politics and political science has become more pronounced, as much of contemporary political debate and analysis has come to be framed in terms of crisis, turbulence, and emergency. The brief survey of the contributions to this Handbook shows the extent to which time-centered research in political science has advanced across the subdisciplines of comparative politics and government; comparative public policy; international relations; and political theory. Seven observational foci guide much of this scholarship: time embedded in institutions, processes, organizations, actor constellations, ideas, policy problems, and public policies. The time-centered conceptual agenda that emerges can be summarized by four terms: explication, specification, systematization, and application. If research on time and politics is to flourish, commonly agreed-upon concepts that are applied consistently are required so that empirical knowledge can be accumulated and, where necessary, revised.