{"product_id":"usable-theory-analytic-tools-for-social-and-political-research-paperback","title":"Usable Theory: Analytic Tools for Social and Political Research - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDietrich Rueschemeyer\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe project of twentieth-century sociology and political science--to create predictive scientific theory--resulted in few full-scale theories that can be taken off the shelf and successfully applied to empirical puzzles. Yet focused \"theory frames\" that formulate problems and point to relevant causal factors and conditions have produced vibrant, insightful, and analytically oriented empirical research. While theory frames alone cannot offer explanation or prediction, they guide empirical theory formation and give direction to inferences from empirical evidence. They are also responsible for much of the progress in the social sciences. In \u003ci\u003eUsable Theory\u003c\/i\u003e, distinguished sociologist Dietrich Rueschemeyer shows graduate students and researchers how to construct theory frames and use them to develop valid empirical hypotheses in the course of empirical social and political research. Combining new ideas as well as analytic tools derived from classic and recent theoretical traditions, the book enlarges the rationalist model of action by focusing on knowledge, norms, preferences, and emotions, and it discusses larger social formations that shape elementary forms of action. Throughout, \u003ci\u003eUsable Theory\u003c\/i\u003e seeks to mobilize the implicit theoretical social knowledge used in everyday life. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cli\u003eOffers tools for theory building in social and political research \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cli\u003eComplements the rationalist model of action with discussions of knowledge, norms, preferences, and emotions \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cli\u003eRelates theoretical ideas to problems of methodology \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cli\u003eSituates elementary forms of action in relation to larger formations \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cli\u003eCombines new ideas with themes from classic and more recent theories\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eUsable Theory\u003c\/i\u003e is a boon to everyone in search of tools to understand the social world. Those tempted to see theory simply as a means of demonstrating erudition and those tempted to substitute rigorous measurement for engagement with theory should both read Rueschemeyer's new book. With unpretentious but sophisticated clarity, he shows how theory can be a powerful, practical means for getting leverage on a full array of substantive problems.\"\u003cb\u003e--Peter B. Evans, University of California, Berkeley\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Dietrich Rueschemeyer walks the same path as sociology's founders, particularly Max Weber, and all those in contemporary theory who have sought to resolve the micro-macro gap. He has succeeded where many others have failed. This is a masterful work.\"\u003cb\u003e--Jonathan H. Turner, University of California, Riverside\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eUsable Theory\u003c\/i\u003e may be the best book on social theory since \u003ci\u003eWeber's Economy and Society\u003c\/i\u003e. If Rueschemeyer is right that integrated sets of confirmed and general propositions about the social world will one day be possible (and I think he is), this book will contribute greatly to that achievement. In the meantime, it will prove immensely stimulating to new researchers and veteran academics alike in their quest to achieve firmer local knowledge. Essential reading.\"\u003cb\u003e--James Mahoney, Northwestern University\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"This book is a winner, and I believe it will become a standard reference in social theory.\"\u003cb\u003e--Gary Goertz, University of Arizona\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDietrich Rueschemeyer\u003c\/b\u003e is professor emeritus of sociology at Brown University and a research professor at Brown's Watson Institute for International Studies. He is the author of \u003ci\u003ePower and the Division of Labor\u003c\/i\u003e and the coeditor of \u003ci\u003eBringing the State Back In\u003c\/i\u003e, among many other books.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 352\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 9.1 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 23, 2009\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51756987777312,"sku":"9780691129594","price":80.37,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/5e6769351265e3d09a54297894e82a59.webp?v=1780090987","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/usable-theory-analytic-tools-for-social-and-political-research-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}