Theory and Credibility: Integrating Theoretical and Empirical Social Science

The credibility revolution in social science has led to concerns about neglecting canonical questions due to the emphasis on empirical methods. Theory and Credibility presents a new framework that combines the credibility revolution and formal theory to advance social scientific inquiry. It provides a typology of interactions between theory and empirics, offering new ways for scholars to make progress on substantive questions and enabling researchers from disparate traditions to gain a deeper appreciation for each other's work.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 20 July 2021
Publisher: Princeton University Press

The credibility revolution, with its emphasis on empirical methods for causal inference, has raised concerns among scholars that the canonical questions about politics and society are being neglected because they are no longer deemed answerable.

Theory and Credibility presents an opposing view, offering a new vision of how 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.

The credibility revolution has brought about significant changes in social scientific inquiry, with a growing emphasis on empirical methods for causal inference. While this approach has been successful in uncovering new insights and understanding, it has also raised concerns about the neglect of canonical questions about politics and society.

Theory and Credibility offers a new perspective on how the credibility revolution and formal theory can work together to advance social scientific inquiry. The book provides a comprehensive framework for bridging the widening gap between theorists and empiricists, emphasizing the importance of both model building and research design.

Drawing on diverse examples from political science, the book 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.

The book also 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. By combining the strengths of both approaches, Theory and Credibility provides a new framework for advancing social scientific knowledge and understanding.

In conclusion, the credibility revolution has brought about significant changes in social scientific inquiry, but it has also raised concerns about the neglect of canonical questions about politics and society. Theory and Credibility offers a new perspective on how the credibility revolution and formal theory can work together to advance social scientific inquiry, providing a comprehensive framework for bridging the widening gap between theorists and empiricists. By combining the strengths of both approaches, the book provides a new framework for advancing social scientific knowledge and understanding.

Weight: 446g
Dimension: 154 x 235 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691213828