Politics is the process and method of gaining or maintaining support for public or common action: the conduct of
decision-making for groups. This notion predates human society. Although it is usually applied to governments, political behavior is also observed in corporate, academic, religious, and other institutions.
Political science is the field devoted to studying political behavior and examining the acquisition and application of
power, or the ability to impose one's will on another. Its practitioners are known as political scientists. Political scientists look at
elections, public opinion, institutional activities (how
legislatures act, the relative importance of various sources of political power), the ideologies behind various politicians and interest groups, how politicians achieve and wield their influence, and so on.
