Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences

Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences

Author: Alexander L. George

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2005-04-15

Total Pages: 347

ISBN-13: 0262262894

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The use of case studies to build and test theories in political science and the other social sciences has increased in recent years. Many scholars have argued that the social sciences rely too heavily on quantitative research and formal models and have attempted to develop and refine rigorous methods for using case studies. This text presents a comprehensive analysis of research methods using case studies and examines the place of case studies in social science methodology. It argues that case studies, statistical methods, and formal models are complementary rather than competitive. The book explains how to design case study research that will produce results useful to policymakers and emphasizes the importance of developing policy-relevant theories. It offers three major contributions to case study methodology: an emphasis on the importance of within-case analysis, a detailed discussion of process tracing, and development of the concept of typological theories. Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences will be particularly useful to graduate students and scholars in social science methodology and the philosophy of science, as well as to those designing new research projects, and will contribute greatly to the broader debate about scientific methods.


The Power of International Theory

The Power of International Theory

Author: Fred Chernoff

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 1135992401

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This new study challenges how we think about international relations, presenting an analysis of current trends and insights into new directions. It shows how the discipline of international relations was created with a purpose of helping policy-makers to build a more peaceful and just world. However, many of the current trends, post-positivism, constructivism, reflectivism, and post-modernism share a conception of international theory that is inherently incapable of offering significant guidance to policy-makers. The Power of International Theory critically examines these approaches and offers a novel conventional-causal alternative that allows the reforging of a link between IR theory and policy-making. While recognizing the criticisms of earlier forms of positivism and behaviouralism, the book defends holistic testing of empirical principles, methodological pluralism, criteria for choosing the best theory, a notion of 'causality,' and a limited form of prediction, all of which are needed to guide policy-makers. This is an essential book for all students and scholars of international relations.


Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing

Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing

Author: Fahiem Bacchus

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2005-06-09

Total Pages: 502

ISBN-13: 3540262768

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This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing, SAT 2005, held in St Andrews, Scotland in June 2005. The 26 revised full papers presented together with 16 revised short papers presented as posters during the technical programme were carefully selected from 73 submissions. The whole spectrum of research in propositional and quantified Boolean formula satisfiability testing is covered including proof systems, search techniques, probabilistic analysis of algorithms and their properties, problem encodings, industrial applications, specific tools, case studies, and empirical results.


Group Testing

Group Testing

Author: Matthew Aldridge

Publisher:

Published: 2019-12-05

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 9781680835960

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Researchers and students in modern communication and network systems will find this monograph an essential resource in understanding this new family of codes that will have a significant impact on such systems in the years to come.


Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing – SAT 2019

Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing – SAT 2019

Author: Mikoláš Janota

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-06-28

Total Pages: 438

ISBN-13: 3030242587

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This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing, SAT 2019, held in Lisbon, Portugal, UK, in July 2019. The 19 revised full papers presented together with 7 short papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 64 submissions. The papers address different aspects of SAT interpreted in a broad sense, including (but not restricted to) theoretical advances (such as exact algorithms, proof complexity, and other complexity issues), practical search algorithms, knowledge compilation, implementation-level details of SAT solvers and SAT-based systems, problem encodings and reformulations, applications (including both novel application domains and improvements to existing approaches), as well as case studies and reports on findings based on rigorous experimentation.


International Theory

International Theory

Author: Steve Smith

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1996-06-13

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 9780521479486

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This book provides a major review of the state of international theory. It is focused around the issue of whether the positivist phase of international theory is now over, or whether the subject remains mainly positivistic. Leading scholars analyse the traditional theoretical approaches in the discipline, then examine the issues and groups which are marginalised by mainstream theory, before turning to four important new developments in international theory (historical sociology, post-structuralism, feminism, and critical theory). The book concludes with five chapters which look at the future of the subject and the practice of international relations. This survey brings together key figures who have made leading contributions to the development of mainstream and alternative theory, and will be a valuable text for both students and scholars of international relations.


Globalizing International Theory

Globalizing International Theory

Author: A. Layug

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-09-30

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 1000653331

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Globalizing International Theory adds to the literature on non-Western international relations (IR) theory by probing the question of what it means to globalize international theory. The book starts with the premise that international theory is unfinished, incomplete, and homogenous because it provides a limited conception of the international which, in turn, derives from its partiality that reflects its narrow Western-centric bias. The contributors argue that the IR vision of the world is projected through a polarizing Western-filtered lens. Rather than utilizing an objective set of explanatory tools for explaining world politics, the reality is that orthodox IR theory only tells us why ‘the West is best’ and why ‘the Rest should become like the West’. This means that international theory is not truly international. In provincializing Western international theory, this volume navigates beyond the Eurocentric and imperial frontier of the prevailing limited conception of the international to explore the hidden contributions to international theory which can be found in the non-Western world. Bringing in excluded, non-Western conceptions of international theory highlights a broader conception of the international. The book provides a framework for theorizing globally, exploring the fundamental problems with Western IR theory, and how to overcome them. This book will be used by advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, scholars, researchers, and IR theorists worldwide who are interested in non-Western IR theory. It will help navigate the problem of internationalness in the face of the grand theoretical problem of our time: the use and misuse of international theory in making sense of, and responding to, the complex global realities of the twenty-first century.