A Model Discipline: Political Science and the Logic of Representations

Political science is an increasingly model-driven discipline. Political scientists use models--formal and informal, quantitative and qualitative--to investigate and illuminate causal mechanisms, study patterns in datasets, and understand the conditions under which certain outcomes are expected to occur. But how do political scientists justify and rationalize this method? Why test predictions from a deductive, and thus truth-preserving, system? David Primo and Kevin Clarke tackle these important questions in this novel work of methodology.

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.