Action and organization: an introduction to contemporary political science

The title of this book, Action and Organization, expresses the author's philosophy of how political science should be studied. The outstanding aspect of anything political is that it involves action. Further, this action is almost always consistent and systematic. So the logical way to understand and analyze it is as a separate and distinct pattern of regularly recurring relationships, i.e., as a system. This system exists to identify, process, and attempt to satisfy the political demands of a particular society.
Any demand is political if it requires action by the power holding decision-makers involved in relation to an existing policy or personal situation. There are several points which need to be noted. First, the action which the decision-makers take may be no action at all. A decision not to act may have far more important effects than an affirmative decision. Second, the decision-makers involved need not occupy any official governmental position for the results of their action to have important political consequences. The refusal by a political party to endorse certain programs or to nominate a particular candidate may well be more important than any positive actions taken by governmental sources. (As used in this text, the term governmental describes the activities of those individuals and organizations legitimately monopolizing the right to determine universal policies for their society and to enforce their decisions.)