社会科学における理論の展開：手法と応用 Developing Theories in the Social Sciences : Methods and Applications

著者名：Sell, Jane/Webster Jr., Murray

Cambridge University Press（2026/06/18発売）

• 言語：ENG
• ISBN：9781009483360
• eISBN：9781009483322

Description

Progress in the social sciences entails developing and improving theoretical understanding of social phenomena and improving methods for collecting and analyzing data. Theories organize what we know or expect to learn about phenomena and methods provide the evidential basis for the theories. While we have witnessed great strides in the development of statistical methods, there is less information for developing theories. In Developing Theories in the Social Sciences, Jane Sell and Murray Webster Jr. describe an approach for logical, consistent, and useful explanatory theories for social scientists. They emphasize properly defining concepts to embed in theoretical propositions, while providing guidelines for avoiding missteps that can occur, including imprecise definitions, incomplete assumptions, and missing scope conditions. Offering examples from different disciplines, the authors propose a structured method vital for building and refining theories about social phenomena.

Table of Contents

1. What is a theory?; 2. Concepts; 3. Logical sentences and truth; 4. Types of reasoning and definitions; 5. Testing theory; 6. Developing a theory of status effects; 7. Public good theory and research; 8. Avoiding common missteps.