The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Political Science (OXFORD HANDBOOKS SERIES)

"The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Political Science contains twenty-seven freshly written chapters to give the reader a panoramic introduction to philosophical issues in the practice of political science. Simultaneously, it advances the field of Philosophy of Political Science by creating a fruitful meeting place where both philosophers and practicing political scientists contribute and discuss. These philosophical discussions are close to and informed by actual developments in political science, making philosophy of science continuous with the sciences, another aspiration that motivates this volume. The chapters fall under four headings: (1) evaluating theoretical frameworks in political science; (2) methodological challenges and reconciliations; (3) the purposes and uses of political science; and, (4) the interactions between political science and society. Specific topics discussed include the biology of political attitudes, intra-agent mechanisms, rational choice explanations, theories of collective action, explaining institutional change, conceptualizing and measuring democracy, process tracing, qualitative comparative analysis, interpretivism and positivism, mixed methods, within-cause causal inference, evidential pluralism, lab and field experiments, external validity, contextualization, prediction, expertise, clientelism, feminism, values, and progress in political science"-- Provided by publisher Cover Page Half Title Title Page Copyright Dedication Table of Contents Acknowledgments List of Figures, Tables and Boxes List of Contributors 1. Putting Philosophy of Political Science on the Map Part 1. Analyzing Basic Frameworks in Political Science 2. The Biology of Politics: Some Limitations and Reasons for Caution 3. The Biological Aspects of Political Attitudes 4. Rational Choice Explanations in Political Science 5. Strategic Theory of Norms for Empirical Applications in Political Science and Political Economy 6. Explaining Institutional Change 7. Public Choice versus Social Choice as Theories of Collective Action 8. Nineteen Kinds of Theories about Mechanisms that Every Social Science Graduate Student Should Know Part 2. Methods in Political Science, Debates, and Reconciliations 9. Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy 10. Qualitative Research in Political Science 11. Interpretivism versus Positivism in an Age of Causal Inference 12. Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA): A Pluralistic Approach to Causal Inference 13. Mixed-​Methods Research and Variety of Evidence in Political Science 14. Generalization, Case Studies, and Within-​Case Causal Inference: Large-​N Qualitative Analysis (LNQA) 15. Process Tracing: Defining the Undefinable? 16. Process Tracing: Causation and Levels of Analysis 17. Randomized Interventions in Political Science: Are the Critics Right? 18. Lab Experiments in Political Science through the Lens of Experimental Economics Part 3. Purposes and Uses of Political Science 19. Philosophy of Science Issues in Clientelism Research 20. External Validity in Philosophy and Political Science: Three Paradoxes 21. Context, Contextualization, and Case-​Study Research 22. Prediction, History, and Political Science Part 4. Political Science in Society: Values, Expertise, and Progress 23. Taking Feminism Seriously in Political Science: A Cross-​Disciplinary Dialog 24. How to Deal with Values in Political Science? 25. Positivism and Value Free Ideals in Political Science 26. Political Experts, Expertise, and Expert Judgment 27. Progress in International Politics: The Democratic Peace Debate Index The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Political Science brings together philosophers of science and political scientists to discuss philosophical issues in political science. The book offers twenty-seven essays on how to do research in political science, the purposes and use of political science in society as well as how to evaluate claims made by political scientists.