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150+ Political Science Research Paper Topics

150+ Political Science Research Paper Topics

Are you a Political Science major? Are you drawing a blank on what to write your research paper on? This list of 150+ topics will provide some inspiration. From terrorism and the media to presidential terms, there are plenty of ideas for students who are looking for something new and exciting!

Here is a list of 150+ original political research papers topics:

  1. The media’s effect on terrorism and political violence
  2. The impact of technology on democracy
  3. Presidential term limits and their effectiveness
  4. Adolf Hitler: A Psychological Analysis from a Psychoanalytic Perspective
  5. How the Media is Regulated: The Evolution of Regulation in America, 1787 to 2016
  6. Which Countries Have Universal Healthcare? Comparing Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden.  France vs. Italy: How Do They Compare?
  7. International Treaties as an Obstacle for U.S. Trade Policy Objectives: NAFTA v/s WTO
  8. Political Populism & Authoritarianism After Brexit And Trump’s Election As President Of United States – What Is Their Impact On Democracy In Europe?
  9. Do Voters Really Care About Presidential Term Limits?
  10. The relationship between terrorism and the media
  11. How terrorists use the media to their advantage
  12. Gender representation in politics
  13. Does gender affect voting?
  14. Political leanings of female politicians on both sides of the aisle
  15. Origin stories: What lies behind Trump’s success in 2016, Bernie Sanders’ campaign, and Hillary Clinton’s loss? (This article goes into some detail about how different political parties are perceived)
  16. What is an authoritarian government? How can we identify them and what should be done when they come to power?
  17. An examination of Putin’s regime in Russia as a case study for understanding authoritarianism.
  18. Is democracy stable or unstable by nature? A comparison with other systems. Is it possible that democracies have reached a point of stability?
  19. The rise and fall of democracy: how can we maintain a healthy balance to avoid the crushing blows that have been dealt in recent years?
  20. A comparison between authoritarian regimes and democracies with regards to political participation, accountability, institutional constraints on power, popular sovereignty and legitimacy.
  21. Political culture as an important factor for understanding development success or failure in Latin America. Discussing some case studies including Mexico’s democratic transition (1994-2000) and Chile’s democratic consolidation (1990-2010). What lessons are there for other countries undergoing transitions from dictatorships?
  22. How does climate change contribute to violent conflict around the world? And what should be done about it?
  23. An empirical examination into different forms of violence stemming from climate change:
  24. Indirect violence, which includes displacement as a result of climate change.
  25. Direct physical violence, such as extreme weather events that kill people in their homes or other vulnerable places like refugee camps.
  26. Sexual aggression and abuse related to disrupted social norms. For example sexual assault on children during natural disasters when they’re left without parents for an extended period of time while simultaneously being exposed to new forms of risk, such as increased vulnerability from predators due to power outages and lack of law enforcement response because police stations are closed temporarily following the disaster event.
  27. The emergence of China’s “crony capitalism” since 1978 has been shaped by two factors: firstly the domestic political context (particularly how economic reform has occurred alongside a process of political reform and fragmentation), secondly, the international context which has led to China’s state-owned enterprises being increasingly exposed to foreign competition.
  28. How the media has taken an active role in reporting on elections
  29. The Influence of Music and Celebrity Culture on Politics
  30. Does Media Coverage Affect Research Paper Topics? An Exploration into How People Choose to Write Their Papers and Reasons for Choosing Them.
  31. Media’s Perceived Role within a Democracy as Conduits of Political Information, Opinion Makers, or Manipulators of Public Opinion.
  32. Do Journalists Have a Responsibility to Present Alternative Perspectives in their Reporting? Are They Neutral Reporters or Activists with Opinions? If so, what is the Difference between Straight News Reporting and Advocacy Journalism? What are Some Examples of Each Type? A Discussion about Whether One Could be Considered Worse than the other.
  33. Political Science Research Paper Topics: The Role of Media in U.S. Politics
  34. How Could Social Media Be Used to Resolve a Political Crisis? What is Twitter’s Role with Regard to Current Events? How Does It Engage People During Important Moments and Affect Their Behavior, Beliefs or Ideas?
  35. Does Online Disinhibition Cause Irrationality in Decision-making Decisions Made by Citizens Exposed To Unfiltered Information on the Internet?
  36. A Discussion Regarding Whether Facebook Causes Divisiveness among Friends and Family Members, Leading them Toward Us vs Them Mentality When it comes to Opinions on Certain Issues. If so, how can this be prevented?
  37. The changing role of the United States in global politics
  38. How a president’s words can affect their legacy
  39. How are the terms of United States presidents timed?
  40. What is the relationship between presidential elections and economic downturns in America? You can read this guide on how to write an economic homework essay.
  41. Terrorism and the media: how does terrorism affect how people consume news?
  42. The role of social media in creating political change, such as during Arab Spring
  43. How can international organizations combat violence against women?
  44. What are some examples of stepmothers (or fathers) throughout history who have had a significant impact on their country’s society or politics? What made them influential? How were they different from traditional politicians/rulers within that same time period? For example, Queen Elizabeth II.
  45. What is the relationship between campaigns for office and campaigning by terrorist groups like ISIS or Al Qaeda to recruit followers online–both in terms of strategies employed and goals achieved with each strategy used most often by both terrorists and government officials?
  46. How do economic inequalities, corruption and social inequality interact in countries around the world? For example, what are some examples of how these three factors can influence each other to create a vicious cycle that perpetuates poverty for certain groups or regions?
  47. What is evidence-based policymaking and why should such an approach be implemented more often by governments at the local, state/provincial, national levels as well as international organizations like United Nations agencies?
  48. What are some ways of implementing evidence-based policies in practice so they have better success rates than traditional approaches (e.g., using randomized controlled trials)
  49. The role of women in the media
  50. What are the effects of terrorism in different countries?
  51. How does political corruption affect democracy?
  52. Ways to improve the democratic system.
  53. The relationship between poverty and violence.
  54. Are there effective ways for citizens to be involved with their government without being violent or corrupting elections?
  55. Do certain economic systems lead to more conflict than others? What can we learn from other countries that have these types of governments, such as Germany during World War II, Cuba under Fidel Castro, China before they adopted a market economy, Vietnam during wartime leaderships, Algeria’s fight against colonialism as well as Myanmar over 50 years ago when it was still known as Burma’ [sic]?’ How do terrorist groups operate on social media and how do social media platforms react to them?
  56. What is the role of international law on genocide and other crimes against humanity?
  57. How does foreign policy affect domestic politics, or vice versa?’ How has globalization changed America’s military strategy in relation to our allies/potential enemies’ [sic]?” What are some effects that a public figure’s career can have on their mental health?’
  58. Is it possible for an individual who suffers from addiction to play a productive role within society’ [sic]?'” Does a person ever recover from being sexually abused as children’?
  59. Why do people discriminate against immigrants coming into the United States illegally’? Is there any correlation between poverty and violence”? Are there effective ways for citizens to be involved with their government
  60. How the media shapes our understanding of terrorism
  61. The consequences for immigration policies in Latin America and North Africa when considering domestic politics
  62. Populist movements-what are their attempted effects?
  63. What is Canadian identity, what does it mean to be a Canadian citizen today?
  64. Terrorism and political violence: a comparative study between selected Middle Eastern countries and Western democracies
  65. Comparing presidential terms during times of war to those without wars. What are the effects? Is there a correlation? Are certain countries more or less affected than others by this phenomenon?
  66. Trends in social class inequality, income equality, education inequalities, differences among ethnic groups
  67. How do different types of terrorism impact society?
  68. The media and it’s effect on terrorism
  69. What makes a dictator different from other politicians?
  70. How does the size of government affect the economy?
  71. Do more guns mean less crime or not decrease in gun violence at all?
  72. How has the Internet changed politics?
  73. The role of Presidential terms on presidential success.
  74. What are some strategies for combating terrorism in Western countries, such as America and Great Britain?
  75. Describe a project that you think would help create peace between Americans with different political views.
  76. -Do we need to be worried about “fake news”? What can be done to combat it?
  77. Is terrorism the major issue in the United States? Who is responsible for political violence?
  78. What are some of the causes and effects of terrorist groups such as ISIS or Al-Qaeda? How do these organizations compare to other violent extremist movements, like militias and religious extremists? What can society do about it all—should there be more interventionist policies abroad, stronger surveillance at home, a different approach altogether?
  79. How does media coverage affect our perceptions of counterterrorism efforts (e.g., War on Terror)? Do we view terrorists favorably when they are featured often in mainstream news outlets–even if their acts would otherwise have been condemned by society’s norms and values–or do we sympathize with victims because they were previously unknowns that suffered from inhumane violence?
  80. What is the role of public opinion on counterterrorism policies? Do we favor military interventions abroad more when they are supported by a majority or minority of society, and do mass media outlets play a large role in determining how popular these opinions are (e.g., Fox News vs. MSNBC)?
  81. How does terrorism affect our perceptions about groups that themselves have no involvement with terrorist activities whatsoever–such as Muslims, Arabs, Mexicans, etc.?
  82. In what ways has the U.S.’s War on Terror affected attitudes towards other countries’ cultures and people? Does it lead to an increase in Islamophobia for instance? And if so, then should there be greater understanding among different cultures moving forward after this war comes to an end?
  83. Do you think that we could ever truly understand another culture? Or do cultures all have enough similarities to each other, and just a few differences in the way they express themselves through their traditions and customs?
  84. What are some of the strengths/weaknesses of multiculturalism as an ideology or concept? If individuals with different races work together successfully on joint ventures, is this evidence for its effectiveness? What about when there are conflicts between groups within a society–meaning one person’s culture clashes with another’s.?”
  85. What are the effects of globalization on America’s military strategy with our allies and potential enemies?
  86. How has a public figure’s career affected their mental health? Can an individual who suffers from addiction play a productive role within society?
  87. Is it possible for someone to recover from abuse as children?
  88. Why do people discriminate against immigrants coming into this country illegally?
  89. Are there any correlations between poverty and violence in America today?’
  90. Is it still possible then for people from these two opposing backgrounds to find common ground without coming into conflict over cultural norms and practices?”
  91. How has globalization changed political science research paper topics since the 1990s: Should governments be more concerned with the opinions of their citizens or should they be more concerned with the opinion and actions of global institutions?
  92. What are two examples of policy decisions that could have both positive and negative effects on a person’s life, depending on who you’re talking about?
  93. Is it possible to find a balance between democratic socialism/capitalism through free-market competition in political systems: Yes or no?
  94. Through what process does change happen within society: Is it gradual (slow momentum) or sudden (fast momentum)? What happens when there is too much inertia (resistance to change)?
  95. The causes for revolution in France from 1789-1799: Which three factors contributed to these events as being revolutionary–the socioeconomic system, demographic structure, and philosophical beliefs of the French at that time?
  96. Experiences with democracy in different countries: What are some examples of types of democracies–direct, representative, and parliamentary?
  97. The effectiveness/legitimacy (or lack thereof) between Palestinians and Israelis as an example to study how citizenship is politicized for one group over another. Is there a way to compare these two groups without being biased or partial? Why do you think this would be important?
  98. Dilemma about global warming: Should we spend billions on trying to curb global warming now when it may not make any difference until 100 years from now OR should we wait before taking action if it will damage our economy more than anything else right now? If so, what type of economic changes should we be looking into?
  99. What is the impact of international trade treaties on public welfare and how have they changed over time. What are your thoughts or comments about this subject?
  100. The most significant event in recent world history has been the end of the Cold War, which led to a drastic change in geopolitics. Why do you think it was so important to abolish communism? Do you believe there will ever be another war like World War II again?
  101. A study on how different political ideologies (liberalism vs conservatism) correlate with economic inequality for industrialized nations would make an interesting research paper topic because historically, liberalism espouses equality while conservatives advocate individual responsibility. This contrast can help provide insight as to why there may exist more poverty among conservative countries.
  102. The effects of terrorism on the media
  103. Gender and violence in Game of Thrones
  104. How to do your own research: a guide for political science researchers.
  105. To make it easier, we’ve also included some popular topics that have been done before! These are just as good – if not better – than what you’ll find online! Here’s a list of them below:
  106. The effect of social media on public opinion during the 2016 presidential campaign.
  107. What is Trump’s legacy?
  108. Trumpism and populism around Europe.
  109. Political institutions after Brexit. What will happen to democracy without EU membership? Will there be another referendum? If so, how might this one go differently from the first time?
  110. The way the American people see Trump in light of allegations.
  111. Do Americans know about Russia’s involvement with our democracy? How can we protect ourselves from future interference?
  112. What are some strategies for protecting the US electoral system and voting process against outside hackers or other disruption efforts, including cyberattacks? What is being done to prevent such disruptions from taking place again during a presidential election cycle like 2016’s?
  113. How do democracies react after an authoritarian leader takes power through elections (i.e., Hugo Chavez)? Do these leaders eventually relinquish power peacefully by term limit or coup d’état, or do they maintain their grip on power until death due to popular support – as was true in Egypt following Mubarak’s fall?
  114. What are the social and economic impacts of authoritarian regimes on their citizens, both domestically (i.e., youth unemployment) as well as in terms trade or military alliances with other countries?
  115. In what ways does population growth fuel civil unrest? What factors contribute to a country’s population size: is it something that can be controlled by governmental policies, or is it determined more at random based on external forces like drought, famine, natural disasters, war or disease outbreaks?
  116. How do democratic leaders maintain legitimacy when they no longer have access to divine authority but depend instead solely upon popular electoral support for power – such as in France following de Gaulle’s departure from office in 1969-1974 after he lost a referendum? Can this be done without tyranny; and can democracy be maintained in the face of imperial encroachments, like France during its period as a republic (1871-1940)?
  117. What are some aspects of political ideologies that have been used throughout history? What is an ideology – what are examples of it, such as socialism and fascism? Who uses them most often?
  118. How do governments use specialized police forces to control their citizens’ behavior or enforce law? How does this differ from regular policing: how many people are on these Special Forces’ payrolls, who typically recruits for them, why they might need more funding, etc.?
  119. Why did post-war capitalism develop differently in different countries? Do you think there was anything intentional about this happening?
  120. How was the post-war United States government different from other Western countries? What are some of the consequences and effects that it had on American society?
  121. What is a democracy – what distinguishes it, how does its system work, why do you think there have been so many calls for more democratic systems in recent years?
  122. Are democracies more stable than non-democracies: if not, why might this be happening? How can we tell whether a country has transitioned to democracy or not? Why would people want to transition out of their current form of governing themselves into a democracy – who benefits most from such transitions?
  123. Why do dictatorships happen at all – when they should theoretically fall under the pressure put on them by citizens demanding more democratic systems?
  124. What is the relationship between globalization and democracy – does it work one way or another, or is there no clear-cut correlation across countries?
  125. How do dictatorships differ from other forms of government such as monarchies: what are their similarities and how might they be used for each other’s benefit?
  126. Is a dictatorship always bad in that people lack autonomy – if so, why would any dictator want to do this? What social problems have been caused by past dictatorships? How can we balance these issues with the good things about being under control of a strong leader who has plans to invest in his country’s future?
  127. Election Fraud in the United States
  128. How do we know if a country has democracy?
  129. The effects of media bias on governance and elections.
  130. Participant Observation in Politics – What it is and how it’s used by scholars who study politics? Participance Rates Around The World
  131. How does age affect voting participation rates around the
  132. How does the media cover terrorism?
  133. How does the media cover presidential candidates?
  134. What are some of the pros and cons in running a campaign for president?
  135. Can terrorism be justified as an act of war? What would that mean for international law, our military strategy, and other aspects of national security policy?
  136. How does terrorism affect elections?
  137. What are the benefits and drawbacks of globalization?
  138. Should we be worried about President Trump’s “America First” foreign policy agenda?
  139. Is America on a slippery slope to fascism with Donald Trump as president?
  140. Do democracies really make people more prosperous than dictatorships or authoritarian regimes?
  141. How do you feel about your country’s democracy given recent trends in politics, such as increasing polarization between left and right parties, populist movements like Brexit, etc.? Do these factors worry you that Western-style liberal democracy may not work anymore because it
  142. Do political leaders care about what people think?
  143. What are some different types of terrorism?
  144. What is the difference between socialism and communism?
  145. How do we define a democracy?
  146. Is the U.S.A an oligarchy or a democracy, really? What’s with all those campaign ads on TV- who pays for them and why can’t someone just ban them already?!  Why does it seem like there are never any good candidates to vote for during elections these days even though they’re always so important??
  147. Are only democracies legitimate governments worth studying in Political Science courses??? Explain your reasoning!
  148. What is a good reason to vote for or against term limits?
  149. Why are third parties important in politics today?
  150. Slavery: What has changed since 1865 and what hasn’t. (UCLA)
  151. Is democracy really the best form of government out there, when it could be getting worse all around us?

These topics are just what you need to get started. Not only will your professor be impressed but also you’ll have an A+ on your paper! It’s that simple! With 150 ideas, there is no way we can’t find one perfect for you. Let these research papers ignite some creativity within yourself today!

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