Description
Book SynopsisDiscusses the state of the field of Political Science. This book talks about the usefulness of rational choice theory; the ethical limits of pluralism; the use (and misuse) of empirical research; the divorce between political theory and empirical science; and the connection between political science scholarship and political struggles.
Trade ReviewDevotees of the perestroika movement will find many of the chapters reinforce their views of the field. . . . Recommended. * Choice *
A bold call to rethink political science. The authors imagine a discipline that challenges power, challenges society, and challenges the ways we think.
Making Political Science Matter is a wise, erudite, broad-ranging, sometimes witty gauntlet tossed before contemporary scholarship. It is more than a book, it is a movement. -- James A. Morone,author of Hellfire Nation: The Politics of Sin in American History
A significant and thoughtful discussion of key issues in the philosophy of social science, one designed to encourage a richer variety of methodological work in political science. -- Kristen Renwick Monroe,editor of Perestroika! The Raucous Rebellion in Political Science
This edited collection offers and up-to-date and very readable discussion of knowledge, research, and method in the political sciences and social studies more generally, suitable for academics and doctoral students alike. -- Thomas Ahrens,University of Warwick
This well-written and accessible collection will be an invaluable resource for students and academics in social sciences in general. * Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography *
Articulates and debates the idea that academic work should be primarily concerned with addressing the largest and most immediate challenges faced by societies. * Urban Studies *
Table of ContentsContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Reframing the Debate Brian Caterino and Sanford F. SchramPart I: The Flyvbjerg Debate1. Return to Politics: Perestroika, Phronesis, and Post-Paradigmatic Political ScienceSanford F. Schram2. The Perestroikan Challenge to Social Science David D. Laitin3. A Perestroikan Straw Man Answers Back: David Laitin and Phronetic Political ScienceBent Flyvbjerg4. A Statistician Strikes Out: In Defense of Genuine Methodological DiversityPatrick Thaddeus Jackson5. Re?ections on Doing Phronetic Social Science: A Case StudyCorey S. Shdaimah and Roland W. StahlPart II: Phronesis Reconsidered6. Social Science in Society Theodore Schatzki7. Power and Interpretation Brian Caterino8. Contesting the Terrain: Flyvbjerg on Facts, Value, Knowledge, and PowerMary Hawkesworth9. The Bounds of Rationality Stewart Clegg10. Making Intuition Matter Leslie Paul ThielePart III: Making Political Science Matter11. Conundrums in the Practice of Pluralism Peregrine Schwartz-Shea12. Unearthing the Roots of Hard Science: A Program for Graduate StudentsGreg J. Kasza13. Political Science and Political Theory: The Heart of the MatterDavid Kettler14. Finding New Mainstreams: Perestroika, Phronesis, and Political Science in the United StatesTimothy W. LukeReferences About the Contributors Index
