Description
Book SynopsisShows 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. This title seeks to mobilize the implicit theoretical social knowledge used in everyday life. It also relates theoretical ideas to problems of methodology.
Trade Review"Rueschemeyer's book is promising as the foundation to produce a literature review and the subsequent drawing of hypotheses... This is valuable to the researcher approaching the field of study for the first time and looking for a basic framework."--Richard Arnold, Teaching Sociology "Drawing on his experience teaching classical and modern theory over several decades, Dietrich Rueschemeyer has written a very practical book that aims to provide a catalogue of usable theory... Although the book is meant to aid undergraduate and graduate students in formulating their research projects, it also might be of interest to seasoned sociologists who want to examine the degree to which their own inclusions and exclusions overlap with those found in this book."--G. William Domhoff, American Journal of Sociology "Usable Theory is nothing less than Amazonian in its detail and complexity... Usable Theory is therefore not very well suited to undergraduates, whom it is more likely to confound than enlighten, but it is nevertheless an important book that should be read by advanced students of politics and established social scientists alike."--Daniel Falkiner, Political Studies Review "The well-written, easy to follow arguments would make this book useful in postgraduate upper-level theory and/or methods courses... Usable Theory ... provide[s] a starting point for effective utilization of theory in social research. From this perspective, it deserves a spot on any researcher's shelf."--Jason L Weigle, Sociology
Table of ContentsPreface ix CHAPTER I: Analytic Tools for Social and Political Research 1 CHAPTER II: A General Frame: Social Action 27 CHAPTER III: Knowledge 40 CHAPTER IV: Norms 64 CHAPTER V: Preferences 87 CHAPTER VI: Emotions 107 CHAPTER VII: "The Human Group" Revisited 123 CHAPTER VIII: Midpoint 135 CHAPTER IX: Aggregations 152 CHAPTER X: Collective Action 168 CHAPTER XI: Power and Cooperation 183 CHAPTER XII: Institutions 204 CHAPTER XIII: Social Identities 228 CHAPTER XIV: Macrocontexts 243 CHAPTER XV: Cultural Explanations 265 CHAPTER XVI: Conclusion: Usable Theory? 286 References 301 Index 325
