A Model Discipline: Political Science and the Logic of Representations - Softcover

Clarke, Kevin A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 019538220X ISBN 13: 9780195382204

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2012

Synopsis

In A Model Discipline, Kevin A. Clarke and David M. Primo turn a critical eye to the methodological approach that dominates modern political science. Clarke and Primo contend that the field's emphasis on model testing has led to a distortion of both the modeling process and the art of data analysis and cannot be logically justified. The authors argue that models should be seen as "objects" and thus regarded as neither true nor false. Models should instead be evaluated for their usefulness for a particular purpose. Divided into two parts, the book first establishes that current practice is not philosophy-free and rests on a number of questionable assumptions. The second part focuses on the different ways that theoretical and statistical models can be useful, and closes with a defensible justification for integrating theoretical and statistical models. A novel work of methodology, A Model Discipline offers a new perspective on long-held assumptions about the way research in the social sciences should be conducted.

About this title

About the Author

Kevin A. Clarke, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Rochester, received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan. His research focuses on political methodology and model discrimination tests. Clarke's articles have appeared in American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Political Analysis, and many other journals.

David M. Primo is Associate Professor of Political Science and Business Administration at the University of Rochester. His research focuses on American politics and political economy. He is the author of two other books, Rules and Restraint (2007) and The Plane Truth (with Roger W. Cobb, 2003), and many journal articles.

Review

"This is an outstanding book that should be read, thought about, and discussed by every political scientist. Professors Clarke and Primo provide a clear discussion of what models are, a persuasive critique of current practice in the discipline, and solid guidance for how to effectively assess models of all types. This is a must-read."--Andrew D. Martin, Professor of Law and Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis

"This is not a book for those who need the comforts of conventional wisdom. It mounts a powerful challenge to our prevailing orthodoxies, both theoretical and methodological. This is fresh, aggressive thinking--a joy to encounter."--Christopher Achen, Princeton University

"This smart book proposes two things simultaneously for political scientists. First, we ought to have a consensus on what we should not do with our models, and that is we should not insist on testing them as models. But second, we also ought to allow for diversity in what our theoretical models can do, how they are judged, and how they are structured. They argue that models ought to be judged based on how useful they are. The same can be said for books-and this is a very useful book."--Ken Kollman, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 019538220X
• ISBN 13: 9780195382204
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 232