Theory and Progress in Social Science

Theory and Progress in Social Science PDF Author: James B. Rule
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521574945
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
This work, sequel to the author's Theories of Civil Violence, attacks questions that have long troubled social science and social scientists - questions of the cumulative nature of social inquiry. Does the knowledge generated by the study of social, political, and economic life grow more comprehensive over time? These questions go to the heart of social scientists' soul-searching as to whether they are indeed engaged in 'science'. The author pursues these questions through in-depth examination of various theoretical programs currently influential in social science, including feminist social science, rational choice theory, network analysis and others.

Theory and Progress in Social Science

Theory and Progress in Social Science PDF Author: James B. Rule
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521574945
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 276

Get Book Here

Book Description
This work, sequel to the author's Theories of Civil Violence, attacks questions that have long troubled social science and social scientists - questions of the cumulative nature of social inquiry. Does the knowledge generated by the study of social, political, and economic life grow more comprehensive over time? These questions go to the heart of social scientists' soul-searching as to whether they are indeed engaged in 'science'. The author pursues these questions through in-depth examination of various theoretical programs currently influential in social science, including feminist social science, rational choice theory, network analysis and others.

Theory and Credibility

Theory and Credibility PDF Author: Scott Ashworth
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691215006
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
A clear and comprehensive framework for bridging the widening gap between theorists and empiricists in social science The credibility revolution, with its emphasis on empirical methods for causal inference, has led to concerns among scholars that the canonical questions about politics and society are being neglected because they are no longer deemed answerable. Theory and Credibility stakes out an opposing view—presenting a new vision of how, working together, the credibility revolution and formal theory can advance social scientific inquiry. This authoritative book covers the conceptual foundations and practicalities of both model building and research design, providing a new framework to link theory and empirics. Drawing on diverse examples from political science, it presents a typology of the rich set of interactions that are possible between theory and empirics. This typology opens up new ways for scholars to make progress on substantive questions, and enables researchers from disparate traditions to gain a deeper appreciation for each other's work and why it matters. Theory and Credibility shows theorists how to create models that are genuinely useful to empirical inquiry, and helps empiricists better understand how to structure their research in ways that speak to theoretically meaningful questions.

How Social Science Got Better

How Social Science Got Better PDF Author: Matt Grossmann
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197518990
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 353

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Book Description
It seems like most of what we read about the academic social sciences in the mainstream media is negative. The field is facing mounting criticism, as canonical studies fail to replicate, questionable research practices abound, and researcher social and political biases come under fire. In response to these criticisms, Matt Grossmann, in How Social Science Got Better, provides a robust defense of the current state of the social sciences. Applying insights from the philosophy, history, and sociology of science and providing new data on research trends and scholarly views, he argues that, far from crisis, social science is undergoing an unparalleled renaissance of ever-broader understanding and application. According to Grossmann, social science research today has never been more relevant, rigorous, or self-reflective because scholars have a much better idea of their blind spots and biases. He highlights how scholars now closely analyze the impact of racial, gender, geographic, methodological, political, and ideological differences on research questions; how the incentives of academia influence our research practices; and how universal human desires to avoid uncomfortable truths and easily solve problems affect our conclusions. Though misaligned incentive structures of course remain, a messy, collective deliberation across the research community has shifted us into an unprecedented age of theoretical diversity, open and connected data, and public scholarship. Grossmann's wide-ranging account of current trends will necessarily force the academy's many critics to rethink their lazy critiques and instead acknowledge the path-breaking advances occurring in the social sciences today.

Social Science Research

Social Science Research PDF Author: Anol Bhattacherjee
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781475146127
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 156

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Book Description
This book is designed to introduce doctoral and graduate students to the process of conducting scientific research in the social sciences, business, education, public health, and related disciplines. It is a one-stop, comprehensive, and compact source for foundational concepts in behavioral research, and can serve as a stand-alone text or as a supplement to research readings in any doctoral seminar or research methods class. This book is currently used as a research text at universities on six continents and will shortly be available in nine different languages.

The Fall of Humankind and Social Progress

The Fall of Humankind and Social Progress PDF Author: Arttu Mäkipää
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000911055
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 277

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Book Description
This book investigates the link between human capabilities and the preconditions for social progress through an engagement with the theological anthropology of Swiss theologian Emil Brunner (1889–1966). It places Brunner’s thought in dialogue with selected contributors from the contemporary social sciences, examining approaches from economics, sociology and philosophy as put forward by Gary S. Becker, Christian Smith and Martha Nussbaum. This dialogic format helps to crystallise both agreements and differences and thus facilitate greater understanding between theology and other disciplines. Questions explored in the discussion relate to the emergence of human nature (the person) and the capabilities human beings possess, as well as how these develop in a social context. The author focuses in particular on the impact of sin (the Fall) and considers the mixed blessings of economic progress. By providing pointers on how to bring back the human person in social disciplines, the book hopes to contribute to improved understanding of the ethical dimension of social progress and human flourishing. It will be of particular interest to scholars of analytic and systematic theology, but also scholars from economics and social sciences with openness to theological engagement.

The Sociology of Progress

The Sociology of Progress PDF Author: Leslie Sklair
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Sociology
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description


Progress in International Relations Theory

Progress in International Relations Theory PDF Author: Colin Elman
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262262552
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 524

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Book Description
All academic disciplines periodically appraise their effectiveness, evaluating the progress of previous scholarship and judging which approaches are useful and which are not. Although no field could survive if it did nothing but appraise its progress, occasional appraisals are important and if done well can help advance the field. This book investigates how international relations theorists can better equip themselves to determine the state of scholarly work in their field. It takes as its starting point Imre Lakatos's influential theory of scientific change, and in particular his methodology of scientific research programs (MSRP). It uses MSRP to organize its analysis of major research programs over the last several decades and uses MSRP's criteria for theoretical progress to evaluate these programs. The contributors appraise the progress of institutional theory, varieties of realist and liberal theory, operational code analysis, and other research programs in international relations. Their analyses reveal the strengths and limits of Lakatosian criteria and the need for metatheoretical metrics for evaluating scientific progress.

Usable Theory

Usable Theory PDF Author: Dietrich Rueschemeyer
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400830672
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 351

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Book Description
The project of twentieth-century sociology and political science--to create predictive scientific theory--resulted in few full-scale theories that can be taken off the shelf and successfully applied to empirical puzzles. Yet focused "theory frames" that formulate problems and point to relevant causal factors and conditions have produced vibrant, insightful, and analytically oriented empirical research. While theory frames alone cannot offer explanation or prediction, they guide empirical theory formation and give direction to inferences from empirical evidence. They are also responsible for much of the progress in the social sciences. In Usable Theory, distinguished sociologist Dietrich Rueschemeyer shows graduate students and researchers how to construct theory frames and use them to develop valid empirical hypotheses in the course of empirical social and political research. Combining new ideas as well as analytic tools derived from classic and recent theoretical traditions, the book enlarges the rationalist model of action by focusing on knowledge, norms, preferences, and emotions, and it discusses larger social formations that shape elementary forms of action. Throughout, Usable Theory seeks to mobilize the implicit theoretical social knowledge used in everyday life. Offers tools for theory building in social and political research Complements the rationalist model of action with discussions of knowledge, norms, preferences, and emotions Relates theoretical ideas to problems of methodology Situates elementary forms of action in relation to larger formations Combines new ideas with themes from classic and more recent theories

The History and Philosophy of Social Science

The History and Philosophy of Social Science PDF Author: Scott Gordon
Publisher: Taylor & Francis US
ISBN: 9780415096706
Category : Social sciences
Languages : en
Pages : 708

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Book Description
First published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Realism and Social Science

Realism and Social Science PDF Author: R. Andrew Sayer
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 9780761961246
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Realism and Social Science offers an authoritative guide to critical realism and an assessment of its virtues in comparison with other leading traditions in social science. It is illustrated throughout with relevant and accessible examples.