During 1940 and 1970, a movement began among the American Political scientists, which is sometimes called “behavioural revolution”. It was and is a functional approach to the problems of political life and behaviour. We shall discuss it in more details in the chapter on Political Systems. It is enough to say here that the behavioural school lays emphasis on the behaviour of political actors in a political system. It studies voting behaviour, role-perceptions, pressure groups, roles of leaders and elites, individual and group behaviour and their interactions within the political system.
Conjoined with the data revolution and methods of statistics, the behaviourists also use such sophisticated concepts and tools of analyses as tables, graphs, scales, charts and mathematical models. They try to measure quantitatively such abstract concepts as “power” and to study decision-making situations through the techniques of “simulation” exercises.
But, on the whole, the behavioral school is more concerned with micro-political than macro-political problems. With these developments, Political Science has become me scientific and predictive.