Who is a political scientist? Scientist, analyst and additional roles  Cover Image

Ki a politológus? Tudós, elemző és más szerepek
Who is a political scientist? Scientist, analyst and additional roles

Author(s): Csaba Tóth, Gábor Török, András Körösényi
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences
Published by: MTA Politikai Tudományi Intézete

Summary/Abstract: Among those involved with research and education in the field of political science, the state of our discipline, the issue of political science education and the present condition of our profession is always an important topic for discussion. The goal of our paper is to provide clarification concerning these issues, as well as to portray the possible roles of political scientists in terms of professions. We attempt to both analyse the distinctive features of these potential roles and to display the differences between them. We argue that while a degree in political science enables its possessor many potential roles, these roles vary greatly with regard to their characteristics and the qualifications they require. Based on how they relate to politics and political science, we distinguish five different roles: that of the political scientist, the political analyst, the political consultant, the political essayist and the politician. In addition to analysing these roles via a pre-determined set of criteria, we mention examples of these roles from the Hungarian political science community.

  • Issue Year: 2008
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 7-27
  • Page Count: 21
  • Language: Hungarian