Focus on both formal institutions and informal political processes

It is also not true that the behavioural approach ignores formal political structures completely. It may be that the emphasis on inputs like pressure, demands and supports is greater than on outputs like decisions and policies. However, the systems analysis and conversion processes of the political system do take into account both formal and informal political structures. For example, Almond and Powell have made a six-fold classification of functions in terms of inputs—interest articulation (pressure and interest groups), interest aggregation (political parties) and communication; and outputs—legislation, administration and adjudication. The three input functions are factors that impinge upon or precede the three output functions.41 This provides a chance to study both formal and informal structures. This also explains why the three output institutions (legislature, executive and judiciary) function differently in different political systems. The parliamentary system works differently in Britain and India because informal processes (for example, caste in India) influence the two political systems differently.


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