Vocabulary Builder — Essay & Answer Writing
Normative
Relating to or establishing a standard, model, or norm; prescribing what ought to be (as opposed to descriptive, which describes what is); in ethics and law, referring to value-laden standards that guide behaviour or judgement
Latin norma (carpenter's square, rule, pattern) + -ive (relating to)
"India's multi-alignment doctrine occupies a contested normative space, proponents argue it is a principled commitment to strategic autonomy, while critics contend it is merely expedient neutrality dressed in normative language."
Core analytical term for GS4 (Ethics, normative vs descriptive ethics), GS2 (IR, normative frameworks, international law), and Essay. Key distinctions: Normative ethics (what ought to be, utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics) vs Descriptive ethics (what moral beliefs people actually hold). In IR: normative power (EU's approach, spreading values/norms vs realist power). Constitutional provisions have normative force, Directive Principles guide policy-makers normatively. Normative frameworks: UN Charter, UDHR, Paris Agreement, set standards states 'ought' to follow.
