The PSIR syllabus for UPSC is divided into two papers:

Syllabus of PSIR Paper - I

Political Theory and Indian Politics:

Political Theory: meaning and approaches.Theories of state: Liberal, Neo-liberal, Marxist, Pluralist, Post-colonial, and Feminist.Justice: Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawl’s theory of justice and its communitarian critiques.Equality: Social, political, and economic; the relationship between equality and freedom; Affirmative action.Rights: Meaning and theories; different kinds of rights; Concept of Human Rights.Democracy: Classical and contemporary theories; different models of democracy—representative, participatory and deliberative.Concept of power: hegemony, ideology, and legitimacy.Political Ideologies: Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism, and Feminism.Indian Political Thought: Dharmashastra, Arthashastra, and Buddhist Traditions; Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, M. K. Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, M. N. Roy.Western Political Thought: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, John S. Mill, Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt.

Indian Government and Politics

Indian Government and Politics
(a) Political Strategies of India’s Freedom Struggle: Constitutionalism to mass Satyagraha, Noncooperation, Civil Disobedience; Militant and Revolutionary Movements, Peasant and Workers Movements.
(b) Perspectives on Indian National Movement; Liberal, Socialist, and Marxist; Radical Humanist and Dalit.Making of the Indian Constitution: Legacies of the British rule; different social and political perspectives. Salient Features of the Indian Constitution: The Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles; Parliamentary System and Amendment Procedures; Judicial Review and Basic Structure doctrine.(a) Principal Organs of the Union Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature, and Supreme Court.
(b) Principal Organs of the State Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature, and High Courts. Grassroots Democracy: Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; Significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments; Grassroot movements.Statutory Institutions/Commissions: Election Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, Finance Commission, Union Public Service Commission, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Women; National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Minorities, National Backward Classes Commission.Federalism: Constitutional provisions; changing nature of center-state relations; integrationist tendencies and regional aspirations; inter-state disputes.Planning and Economic Development: Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; Role of planning and public sector; Green Revolution, land reforms and agrarian relations; liberalization and economic reforms.Caste, Religion, and Ethnicity in Indian Politics.Party System: National and regional political parties, ideological and social bases of parties; Patterns of coalition politics; Pressure groups, trends in electoral behavior; changing socio-economic profile of Legislators. Social Movement: Civil liberties and human rights movements; women’s movements; environmentalist movements.

Syllabus of PSIR Paper - II

Comparative Politics and International Relations
Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics:
Comparative Politics: Nature and major approaches; Political economy and political sociology perspectives; Limitations of the comparative method.
State in Comparative Perspective: Characteristics and changing nature of the State in capitalist and socialist economies, and advanced industrial and developing societies.
Politics of Representation and Participation: Political parties, pressure groups and social movements in advanced industrial and developing societies.
Globalisation: Responses from developed and developing societies.
Approaches to the Study of International Relations: Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist and Systems theory.
Key Concepts in International Relations: National interest, security and power; Balance of power and deterrence; Transational actors and collective security; World capitalist economy and globalisation.
Changing International Political Order:
(a) Rise of superpowers; Strategic and ideological Bipolarity, arms race and cold war; Nuclear threat;
(b) Non-aligned movement: Aims and achievements.
(c) Collapse of the Soviet Union; Unipolarity and American hegemony; Relevance of non-alignment in the contemporary world.
Evolution of the International Economic System: From Bretton woods to WTO; Socialist economies and the CMEA (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance); Third World demand for new international economic order; Globalisation of the world economy.
United Nations: Envisaged role and actual record; Specialized UN agencies—aims and functioning; the need for UN reforms.
Regionalisation of World Politics: EU, ASEAN, APEC, AARC, NAFTA.
Contemporary Global Concerns: Democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice terrorism, nuclear proliferation.
India and the World
Indian Foreign Policy: Determinants of foreign policy; the institutions of policy-making; continuity and change.
India’s Contribution to the Non-Alignment Movement Different phases; current role.
India and South Asia:
(a) Regional Co-operation: SAARC-past performance and future prospects.
(b) South Asia as a Free Trade Area.
(c) India’s “Look East” policy.
(d) Impediments to regional co-operation: River water disputes; illegal cross-border migration; Ethnic conflicts and insurgencies; Border disputes.
India and the Global South: Relations with Africa and Latin America; Leadership role in the demand for NIEO and WTO negotiations.
India and the Global Centres of Power: USA, EU, Japan, China and Russia.
India and the UN System: Role in UN Peace-keeping; Demand for Permanent Seat in the Security Council.
India and the Nuclear Question: Changing perceptions and policy.
Recent developments in Indian Foreign Policy: India’s position on the recent crises in Afghanistan, Iraq, and West Asia, growing relations with US and Israel; Vision of a new world order.