Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science (Paperback)

by Stephen Van Evera (Author) "What Is a Theory?..." (more)
Key Phrases: congruence procedure type, congruence procedures, political science dissertation, New York, Case Study Research, Comparative Method (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"Stephen Van Evera's Guide to Methods makes an important contribution toward improving the use of case studies for theory development and testing in the social sciences. His trenchant and concise views on issues ranging from epistemology to specific research techniques manage to convey not only the methods but the ethos of research. This book is essential reading for social science students at all levels who aspire to conduct rigorous research."--Alexander L. George, Stanford University, and Andrew Bennett, Georgetown University

"Van Evera has a keen awareness of the questions that arise in every phase of the political science research project--from initial conception to final presentation. Although others may not agree with all of his specific advice, all will appreciate his user-friendly introduction to what is sometimes seen as an abstract and difficult topic."--Timothy J. McKeown, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

For the last few years, Stephen Van Evera has greeted new graduate students at MIT with a commonsense introduction to qualitative methods in the social sciences. His helpful hints, always warmly received, grew from a handful of memos to an underground classic primer. That primer has now evolved into a book of how-to information about graduate study, which is essential reading for graduate students and undergraduates in political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, and history--and for their advisers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Cornell University Press (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080148457X
• ISBN-13: 978-0801484575
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #225,352 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical guide to research/writing (and the arrows work), August 6, 2002

By A Customer

Van Evera's book is simple, to be sure, but not simplistic; a prior reviewer's gibes at the notion of flow-charting a theory, with arrows, are a bit off the mark. As the reviewer notes, a theory designates a causal relationship. If so -- no matter what its other "good" points (parsimony, explanatory reach, etc) -- you can draw that causal relationship between the various independent variables and the dependent variable they help to explain. You can even draw it with arrows.

In general this book is recommended for 1st or 2nd year political science graduate students, and useful for advanced undergraduates (who will only care about the 1st 100 pages or so). It is clear and eminently practical. Other reviewers are right to imply there is little here in the way of philosophy of science in the broadest sense. But that merely makes this book a complement, not a substitute, to more esoteric explorations of the topic.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a guide to methods, March 26, 2008

By	Yannis "Yannis" (Espagne) - See all my reviews

This book is not a guide to methods, but a guide to how to write an under-grad paper. It is nothing like Frankfort-Nachmias & Nachmias, which IS a real guide to methods. If you already know what is a theory (e.g. as opposed to a non-causal statement) and how to write a paper reasonably well (i.e. without making silly mistakes of omission or commissin) then you do not need this book. If you do not, you might usefully use this book - BUT DO NOT CONFUSE IT WITH A GUIDE TO METHODS.

9 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Got Arrow Diagram?, March 15, 2002

By	Adam Luedtke "chairman_luedtke" (Salt Lake City) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In this book Mr. Van Evera introduces the reader to the gospel of arrow diagraming, in which all political science theories must be drawn as letters, representing variables, with arrows (representing causality) connecting them. Thus, to quote Van Evera, "a theory that cannot be arrow-diagrammed is not a theory and needs reframing to become a theory." Thus, by his measure, much of the poli sci "theories" are not theories at all. So what are GOOD theories, for van Evera, besides those that are easily arrow-diagramed?

Theories are general statements that describe and explain the causes or effects of classes of phenomena. They are composed of causal laws or hypotheses, explanations, and antecedent conditions. Explanations are also composed of causal laws or hypotheses, which are in turn composed of dependent and independent variables. A good theory has 7 characteristics: it has large explanatory power (importance, explanatory range, applicability), and is parsimonious, satisfying, clearly framed, falsifiable, explains important phenomena, and has "prescriptive richness."

In short, the book might teach newbies a thing or two about methodological rigor and research design, but is certainly no model of sophistication. In fact, the book is a perfect example of why American political "science" is sometimes mocked by the rest of the academic world.