Political Science

Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau were economic theorists and they contributed to the political economy. They suggested that public policy making should be a decision of all the citizens in a country and should not be done by a few people and imposed to the majority. They advocated for democracy in the public policy making where all the people affected by the policies should contribute to the establishment of the policies. The three political economists suggested that a democratic economy is the best for an economy that focuses on the welfare of the people. A democratic economy is the one which accepts the ideas from the people affected by the policies being made by the governing body (Gerston, 1997).

Policy process involves development of ideas which are required to achieve certain goals. Several ideas are generated during the process of policy making. These ideas are the possible solutions that an organization has. On the other hand, policy analysis is the determination of the best policy to implement. The ideas generated during the policy process are screened to come up with the most suitable ones. The best policies are implemented while the others are not considered. When making public policies certain processes should be observed to ensure all the standards are adhered to (Gerston, 1997).

In a democratic nation, policies affect all the people and this requires the contribution of all disciplines to have an integrated policy. Different disciplines have different opinions about the public policies to be developed. An integrated approach to policy making will add value to the policies being made. People are ready to implement policies which have been made in a democratic manner. Imposing policies to people creates conflicts and the policies may fail. A democratic economy should obtain the views from all the stakeholders to develop ideas that match the needs of the people concerned. Participation in policymaking allows challenges to be established on the efficiency of the policies. Challenges are good in the determination of the success of the policies (Gerston, 1997).

Empirical study is based on the practical or experimental methods of acquiring knowledge. The learners are exposed to the reality of the theories studied. It encourages the use of knowledge acquired from the theoretical studies into the practice. Experience increases the retention capacity of a person and creates a good picture of the actual aspects of theory (Gerston, 1997).

The period of Enlightenment refers to the 18th century according to the European philosophy. It is also called the age of reason which advocates for rationality. The age of enlightenment is described as the foundation of the modern systems of knowledge. Many concepts developed during the age of enlightenment have become very important in modern studies. The age of enlightenment occurred when man started to develop ideas which required a lot of thinking. Several philosophers, mathematicians, physicists, and other acknowledged people established themselves during this age. Empirical study has improved the understanding of the theoretical knowledge that was developed during the age of enlightenment. Most of the concepts developed during this period where practiced through empirical studies (Gerston, 1997).