Psychology author and political columnist Paras Panjwani, known for his work on human behavior and mindset through his book Shift Your Perspective, is increasingly focusing on the psychological forces shaping political culture and governance. With a background in behavioral analysis and public discourse, Panjwani brings a perspective that connects psychology with societal systems, examining how human decision making, power dynamics, and collective attitudes influence the effectiveness of political institutions. His work highlights that governance cannot be fully understood through policy structures alone and must account for the behavioral environment in which those structures operate.
Panjwani explains that political culture is formed less by formal rules and more by repeated behavioral experiences over time. Trust, accountability, leadership ethics, and public engagement create the invisible framework within which governments function. Across countries and regions, similar legal systems often deliver very different outcomes, a reality he attributes to psychological factors such as incentive alignment, institutional habits, perception of authority, and social norms. Leadership behavior shaped by pressure, reputation concerns, fear of loss, and public scrutiny plays a central role in determining whether institutions encourage transparency and progress or stagnation and resistance to reform.
Institutions themselves develop behavioral patterns that gradually become ingrained. Processes that once ensured stability can later become obstacles to efficiency when comfort zones replace innovation. According to Panjwani, successful governance reform is as much a behavioral challenge as a structural one. Long term improvement occurs when transparency becomes culturally expected, ethical conduct is socially reinforced, performance is rewarded, and misuse of authority carries clear consequences. Without these foundations, policy changes often struggle to produce lasting results.
Public behavior also shapes political culture in powerful ways. Civic participation rises when citizens trust institutions to act fairly and respond consistently, while repeated experiences of inefficiency or indifference weaken engagement and foster cynicism. In the modern digital era, perception spreads faster than policy impact, making trust a central psychological component of governance. Political systems now operate not only on administrative performance but also on emotional narratives and collective experiences.
Through his ongoing commentary, Panjwani seeks to shift conversations toward the human side of politics, encouraging institutions and societies to recognize that behavioral realities ultimately determine governance success. More about Paras Panjwani’s work and publications can be found at https://paraspanjwani.com. By applying psychological understanding to political culture, he advocates for governance models that align with how people actually think, respond, and engage, offering a path toward stronger institutions and healthier democratic environments.
