Political development is about increasing the ability of the political system to continuously and effectively adapt to new patterns of social goals and to create new institutions that provide channels for dialogue between government and the population.
The problems of political development are being developed within the framework of the sociology of development. Its methodological basis is laid down by the concepts of F. Tennis, M. Weber, and T. Parsons. Supporters of this direction considered all modifications of political systems within the limits of extensive transition from traditional to modern society. At the same time, the former was primarily understood as agrarian, based on simple reproduction and characterized by a closed social structure, low individual status of a citizen, and strict patronage of state governance. Modern society was treated as industrial society, based on the openness of the social structure and rational organization of power.
There are three main criteria for political development: structural differentiation, the ability of the system and the trend towards equality.
Structural differentiation. Structural differentiation of the institutions of the political system reflects the process of complication of social relations due to the implementation of the law, increasing diversity of people's activities and the emergence of new groups of interests. The political system must respond quickly to new demands. For this purpose, it requires a strong structural differentiation and high specialization of the functions of the political system.
Ability of the system. Ability to innovate - the ability to adapt to new problems, to react flexibly to new impulses and unforeseen situations. Ability to mobilize - the ability to mobilize resources to address the challenges facing society. Mobilisation involves the transformation of unclear masses into concrete programmes and policies; the development and dissemination of a collective action project; the accumulation of necessary resources; and the authority of political leaders. Ability to survive - a developed political system is able to ensure its own survival, encouraging the spread of self loyal forms of behavior through specialized structures of political socialization (schools, universities, armies, etc.), involving the population in political life.
Tendency to equality. It is characterized by people's participation in political activity, universal nature of laws, which become general; "recruitment" for public office in accordance with the merits of candidates, their competence.
Political modernization is the process of formation, development and distribution of modern political institutions, practices, as well as modern political structure, which is characterized by traits:
- is the transition from traditional to modern society as a result of scientific and technological progress, social and structural changes, transformation of normative and value systems.
- The mechanism used is the borrowing (copying, imitation) of samples.
- The mechanism used is the borrowing (copying, imitation) of samples.
Liberal. The main criterion for political modernization is the degree of involvement of the population in the system of representative democracy. According to the concept, the nature and dynamics of modernization depend on the open competition of free elites and the degree of political involvement of ordinary citizens.
Conservative. The main source of modernization is the conflict between the "mobilization" of the population (included in the political life as a result of emerging contradictions) and "institutionalization" (existence of structures and mechanisms designed to articulate and aggregate the interests of citizens).
Depending on the mechanism of modernization used, the following types of this process are usually singled out in the political science literature:
"Primary", the beginning covers the epoch of the first industrial revolution, the destruction of traditional hereditary privileges and the proclamation of equal civil rights, democratization, etc. In these countries, modernization was carried out mainly in an evolutionary way on the basis of their own cultural traditions and samples; "Secondary", "modernization in pursuit", the main factor of which is the socio-cultural contacts of the "backward" with the centers of industrial culture, and the main mechanism - imitation processes. Transition society can be stuck at the stage of "partial modernization", when traditionalism and rationality as opposite ways of behavioral orientation of an individual and society, on which the formation of economic, technical, administrative skills and corresponding organizational structures depends, are institutionalized within the framework of one society.