What is the difference between 328, the legislative process in political science, and 342.05, constitutional and administrative law of legislative bodies?

When attempting to distinguish between numbers in the DDC that appear to be similar, don't look for the answer too close to the numbers in question. Dewey is a discipline-based classification, and any specific subject may be found in many different disciplines. Thus any specific number can only be understood in the context of the discipline and subdiscipline in which it is found.

This is particularly true when one of the numbers is a law number. Most subjects in the social sciences (and some subjects elsewhere in the classification) are governed by law. For such subjects, there is one number for the subject and another number for the law governing the subject.

That is the case here. 328 is the number for legislative bodies as well as the legislative process. It is part of the discipline of political science, often referred to as "politics and government." The core meaning of 328 is the political science of the legislative process and how legislative bodies work. That number is also the interdisciplinary number for these subjects. An ordinary work describing, for example, parliaments and their work, should be classed in 328 without question. Only a work limited to the constitutional and administrative law of parliaments will be classed in 342.05. If you have a question about whether a specific work belongs in political science or law, that very question may be a sign that the work is about both, and you will be well advised to class the work in the political science number.

In the DDC hierarchy, law is considered a part of political science. At 320 Political science it says: "For law, see 340; for public administration and military science, see 350." The implication of this hierarchical relationship is that a number in 320 for a given subject is more basic than numbers for the same subject found in either 340 or 350 and is thus to be preferred if you have trouble determining the discipline of a specific work.

Last revised: 09 January 2004