Typology of Political Development Studies: From Community-based to Government-oriented Theories

The post-WWII diversity of theories of political development particularly in the scientific and research institutes in the Western countries has enriched the literature of this political concept on the one hand, and added to its ambiguities on the other. New studies related to political development face dispersion due to the overwhelming volume of previous studies and therefore researchers have no option but to select some of the theories. This article provides a diverse collection of theories, created based on subjective modeling, in a graph with focus on community-based and government-oriented theories as the main categories of theories of political sociology in order to present diversity and proliferation in these theories.Community-based theories suggest bottom-to-top model for political development, which will take shape in a civil society, but government-oriented theories suggest top-to-bottom model for political development, based on a legitimate and powerful government. Choosing one of these models depends on the unique features of the community and government in different societies.