Description
Book SynopsisPolitical methodology has changed dramatically over the past thirty years, and many new methods and techniques have been developed. Both the Political Methodology Society and the Qualitative/Multi-Methods Section of the American Political Science Association have engaged in ongoing research and training programs that have advanced quantitative and qualitative methodology. The Oxford Handbook of Political Methodology presents and synthesizes these developments.The Handbook provides comprehensive overviews of diverse methodological approaches, with an emphasis on three major themes. First, specific methodological tools should be at the service of improved conceptualization, comprehension of meaning, measurement, and data collection. They should increase analysts'' leverage in reasoning about causal relationships and evaluating them empirically by contributing to powerful research designs. Second, the authors explore the many different ways of addressing these tasks: through case-studies
Trade ReviewReview from previous edition This Handbook contains an extraordinary collection of magisterial articles by many of the best methodological minds in political science. Prominent statisticians, econometricians, and sociologists who have taken an interest in our inferential problems are also well represented. The range is broad and substantive, with quantitative, qualitative, formal-theoretic, historical, and mixed methods discussed in relation to all the empirical subfields of the discipline. Every sect will find something to its taste, and those who celebrate the methodological diversity of the profession will have a feast. The articles are written to be accessible, and graduate students will find no better place to begin developing their own methodological judgment. This book is a splendid achievement. * Christopher H. Achen, Roger Williams Straus Professor of Social Sciences, Princeton University *
This extraordinary series offers 'state of the art' assessments that instruct, engage, and provoke. No one who is immersed in the discipline's controversies and possibilities should miss the intellectual stimulation and critical appraisal these works so powerfully provide. * Ira Katznelson, Ruggles Professor of Political Science and History, Columbia University. *
This blockbuster set is a must-have for scholars and students alike. Each volume is crafted by a distinguished set of editors who have assembled critical, comprehensive, essays. These volumes will help to shape the discipline for many years to come. * Theda Skocpol, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology, Harvard University. *
Table of ContentsPART I: INTRODUCTION; PART II: APPROACHES TO SOCIAL SCIENCE METHODOLOGY; PART III: CONCEPTS AND MEASUREMENT; PART IV: CAUSALITY AND EXPLANATION IN SOCIAL RESEARCH; PART V: EXPERIMENTS, QUASI-EXPERIMENTS AND NATURAL EXPERIMENTS; PART VI: QUANTITATIVE TOOLS FOR DESCRIPTIVE AND CAUSAL INFERENCE: GENERAL METHODS; PART VII: QUANTITATIVE TOOLS FOR DESCRIPTIVE AND CAUSAL INFERENCE: SPECIAL TOPICS; PART VIII: QUALITATIVE TOOLS FOR DESCRIPTIVE AND CAUSAL INFERENCE; PART IX: ORGANIZATIONS, INSTITUTIONS, AND MOVEMENTS IN THE FIELD OF METHODOLOGY
