In her book, What is Political Sociology?, Elizabeth Clemens differentiates this subfield from the work of political scientists, who she says focus on “the workings and consequence” of “elements of formal government (e.g. the legislative, the executive, the judiciary).” In contrast, political sociologists ask “why power is organized in one way rather than another… expanding our field of vision to think about the relationship of formal politics to economic conflicts, religious beliefs, family practices, and a wide range of social identities.” By studying these relationships, students learn how nation states have developed into various forms and how these differences shape variations in social inequality and opportunity.