Political structure is a commonly used term in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...
. In a general sense, it refers to
institutions or even groups and their relations to each other, their patterns of interaction within
political systems
In political science, a political system means the type of political organization that can be recognized, observed or otherwise declared by a state.
It defines the process for making official government decisions. It usually comprizes the govern ...
and to political
regulation
Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a ...
s,
laws and the norms present in political systems in such a way that they constitute the political landscape and the political entity. In the social domain, its counterpart is
social structure
In the social sciences, social structure is the aggregate of patterned social arrangements in society that are both emergent from and determinant of the actions of individuals. Likewise, society is believed to be grouped into structurally rela ...
. Political structure also refers to the way in which a government is run.
References
{{reflist
External links
Law Library of Congresswith links to political structure articles
at
Yale Law School
Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...
on the Athenian Constitution by Aristotle (in English) Sir Frederic G. Kenyon's translation of Aristotle on the political structure (or constitution) of the ancient city-state of
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...
, which is usually considered a prime inspiration for the form of government chosen for the United States
Social philosophy
Political science terminology