Methods for Political Inquiry The Discipline, Philosophy and Analysis of Politics

by Theodoulou, Stella Z.; O'Brien, Rory

• ISBN13: 9780136755623
• ISBN10: 0136755623
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-06-17
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

This book presents a readily accessible, systematic approach to politics and its principles, around which political inquiry should be organized. Readers are exposed to materials on the fundamental assumptions of political inquiry in addition to the specific devices necessary for gathering and collecting data about political phenomena.Methods for Political Inquiry represents theonly book currently available that covers the full range of both research methods and research techniques. It incorporates both normative and empirical theory building, as well as qualitative and quantitative research methods, to emphasize why researchers might use one technique over another.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Part One The Discipline of Political Science	1	(76)
1 Where We Stand Today: The State of Modern Political Science	1	(12)
Stella Z. Theodoulou
Rory O'Brien
2 What Is Politics?	13	(12)
Robert Dahl
3 The State in Political Study: How We Become What We Study	25	(12)
Theodore Lowi
4 Feminist Challenges to Political Science	37	(40)
Susan J. Carroll
Linda M.G. Zerilli
Part Two The Philosophical Debate: Theories and Paradigms	77	(65)
5 Normative versus Empirical Theory and Method	77	(14)
Rory O'Brien
6 Actual Constitutions and Their Varieties	91	(10)
Aristotle
7 Of the Three Kinds of Government: Democracy, Aristocracy, Monarchy	101	(10)
Thomas Hobbes
8 Philosophy after Its Completion	110	(3)
Karl Marx
9 A Role for History and Progress through Revolutions	113	(17)
Thomas Kuhn
10 Scientific Principles in Political Study: Some Enduring Situations	130	(12)
Marcus E. Ethridge
Part Three The Analysis of Politics	142	(65)
11 Starting from Scratch: The Research Process	142	(10)
Stella Z. Theodoulou
12 There's Method to This Madness: The Fundamentals of Applied Social Statistics	152	(13)
Stella Z. Theodoulou
13 How to Statisticulate, and How to Talk Back to a Statistic	165	(17)
Darrell Huff
14 Surfing Bytes: Utilizing the Internet and Your Computer for Social Science Research	182	(12)
Stella Z. Theodoulou
Paula Lackie
Matthew A. Cahn
15 Formal Models in Political Science	194	(13)
Morris P. Fiorina
Appendices	207
A Additional Articles Illustrating the Political Research Process	207	(6)
B Resources for Research	213	(5)
C Putting It All Together: The Research Paper	218