Introduction to Political Science

This document provides an introduction to the field of political science, focusing on the topic of economic inequality. It discusses the impact of economic inequality on society and explores the role of media in shaping political issues. The document also highlights the importance of democracy and public opinion in addressing economic inequality.

INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE 1
INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE: POLITICAL SCIENCE UNIT
EXERCISE
Student’s Name:
Institution’s Name:
Course Title:
Date of Submission:

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Introduction to Social Sciences: Political Science Unit Exercise
For the purpose of discussion I have chosen the news article, “Economic Inequality:
What It Is and How It Impacts You,” by Susannah Snider (2019). The primary reason
behind choosing the concerned article is that, it is primarily about socio-political and
economic conditions of the United States and it is directly related to political science.
Political science considers human beings as social beings and as the article is about the
economic and social condition of the United States, the same has been chosen. The news
article has interested me owing to the fact that it has mentioned a harsh truth from which
the American society is suffering. Moreover, as Canadian politics and social issues are
highly influenced by the political and social approaches of Canada, this news article has
been chosen.
The Liberal Party of Canada should be the political party that would best support
my personal view about the topic (“Registered Political Parties and Parties Eligible for
Registration”, n.d.). The Liberal Party of Canada is known for its strong stance against
economic inequality. The ideology of the Liberal Party of Canada is to fight poverty – the
harsh and pathetic outcome of economic and social inequality. Moreover, this view can
be supported by citing the motto of the concerned political party which says, “We will
introduce a new Canada Child Benefit. Tax-free, tied to income and delivered monthly,
this benefit provides greater support to those who need help most: single-parent families
and low-income families. It will lift 315,000 children out of poverty” (Fighting Poverty,
2019).
The issue of economic inequality is an issue of concern for any country and for any
society, and the Canadian society is no exception. It is economic inequality that creates

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income gap which in turn creates social inequality in a thorough manner. If I was
responsible for creating a law or public policy to address or solve the issue I would have
indulged in the process of creating a Bill that could be enacted as a law which would
have the power to increase taxation for the wealthy (CPA, 2018). Such a law would be
essential to blur the income gap in a considerable manner and it would be essential to
make Canadian democracy a reality.
Both as a process and as a value, democracy is directly related to the issue under
consideration. It must be noted that democracy refers to equality and an anti-thesis to
democracy is any form of inequality including economic, social, and political inequality.
Though the article chosen is related to economic inequality in the United States, it has
been chosen primarily because it deals with a burning issue which is income gap that
gives rise to economic inequality. It should be minutely noted that the higher the degree
of economic inequality, the higher is the chance for moving away from democracy
(Milanovic, 2017). Considering this fact the chosen political item can be related to the
concept of democracy both as a process and as a value.
Any form of protests or demonstrations is a part of a real democracy (Martin,
1994). Quite interestingly public opinion is the pillar on which the edifice of democracy
rests. Owing to this fact any protest or demonstration against economic inequality should
not be considered as an illegal act or an illegal act of violence. It is the peoples’ right to
go against the government if the government fails to accomplish the objectives of
democracy. Moreover, protests and mass demonstrations are effective as strategies in
order to combat any form of inequality. And as they refer to public opinion, the efficacy
becomes more pronounced.

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Media plays an important role in projecting any political science issue. Media
impacts the coverage of political science issues and this can be claimed by citing the fact
that media has the power to influence public opinion and as public opinion is a pillar of
democracy, the role of media cannot be undermined in influencing political science
issues. It should be taken into account that media is a key dimension of global inequality
(The Conversation, 2016). Media coverage can either falsely represent a political issue
ignoring real political issues of concern and this may direct the public opinion towards a
wrong direction, bringing about woes for democracy.
Social sciences like political science are thoroughly relevant to our lives. It must be
noted that social sciences like political science always hypothesize that human beings are
social beings and this hypothesis makes it clear that no human being can remain in a
society peacefully by isolating himself from social problems or serous socio-political and
economic issues.

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References
CPA (2018). Income Inequality in Canada: The urban gap. Retrieved April 14, 2019,
from https://www.cpacanada.ca/en/the-cpa-profession/about-cpa-canada/key-
activities/public-policy-government-relations/economic-policy-research/income-
inequality-canada
Fighting Poverty (2019). Liberal. Retrieved April 14, 2019, from
https://www.liberal.ca/realchange/fighting-poverty/
Registered Political Parties and Parties Eligible for Registration (n.d.). Retrieved April
14, 2019, from https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?
dir=par&document=index&lang=e&section=pol#Liberal
Martin, B. (1994). Protest in a liberal democracy. Philosophy and Social Action, 20(1-2),
13-24.
Milanovic, B. (2017). The higher the inequality, the more likely we are to move away
from democracy. The Guardian. Retrieved April 14, 2019, from
https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/may/02/higher-inequality-move-
away-from-democracy-branko-milanovic-big-data
Snider, S. (March 21, 2019). Economic Inequality: What It Is and How It Impacts You.
U.S. News. Retrieved April 14, 2019, from
https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/family-finance/articles/
economic-inequality-what-it-is-and-how-it-impacts-you

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The Conversation (2016). Why the media is a key dimension of global inequality.
Retrieved April 14, 2019, from http://theconversation.com/why-the-media-is-a-key-
dimension-of-global-inequality-69084