How to think like a realist : a methodology for social science / Ray Pawson, (Emeritus Professor of Social Research Methodology, University of Leeds, UK).

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pawson, Ray, author.

Contributor:

Edward Elgar Publishing, publisher.

Series:

How to research guides

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Realism.

Social sciences--Methodology.

Social sciences.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (304 pages)

Place of Publication:

Northampton : Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024.

Summary:

"How to Think Like a Realist is Ray Pawson's seminal book on realist social inquiry, boldly linking social research to clinical and physical science and challenging many methodological shibboleths. This unique book pairs outstanding clarity of detail with an accessible approach, exploring the three great methodological challenges in social research: how to think about causality, objectivity, and generality. Presented in accessible bite-sized episodes, it offers a rich diet of practical illustrations, enabling the reader to absorb the variety and breadth of realist inquiry. How to Think Like a Realist is written in Ray Pawson's customary style; informed, bravely non-conformist and with a splash of mischief. Pawson offers a dextrous rebuttal to the threats that social inquiry faces in an era of post-truth. The text provides crucial guidance for those looking to better understand the central tenets of social science research methodology in the twenty-first century. This innovative book will be an essential resource for students and early career researchers as well as experienced academics and practitioners from across all social science disciplines. Its breadth of coverage and accessibility makes it an ideal text for teaching social research methodology at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Contents: Preface

Part I: How to think about causality

Introduction to Part I:

Episode 1. The oldest maxim: Correlation does not equal causation

Episode 2. Harré's distinction between successionist and generative causation

Episode 3. Stinchcombe's challenge to students (and the rest of us)

Episode 4. Newer maxims: Contingency clouds causation; mechanisms are not variables

Episode 5. Generative thinking in pharmaceutical inquiry: The drug development pipeline

Episode 6. Provisos: The transience of causal relationships and the influence of context

Episode 7. Mechanisms, contexts, and demi-regularities in social science

Episode 8. Causation and change: Coleman's boat and the caucus race

Episode 9. Causation in complex systems: Boundary conditions and stopping rules

Episode 10. Generative thinking in sociology i: Goldthorpe on social mobility

Episode 11. Generative thinking in sociology ii: Boudon on educational inequality episode 12. generative thinking in programme evaluation: Pawson in prison

Episode 13. Generative thinking in comparative historical research: Wither protest movements?

Episode 14. Generative thinking in qualitative longitudinal inquiry: Following young fathers

Episode 15. Generative thinking in legislative analysis: Megan's law

Episode 16. Interlude

Part II: How to think about objectivity

Introduction to Part II

Episode 17. The empiricist myth of direct, sensory observation

Episode 18. The constructivist myth of omnipresent, omnipotent opinion

Episode 19. The empiricist myth of balanced, impartial observation

Episode 20. The constructivist myth of partisan science

Episode 21. Objectivity reclaimed: Introducing post-empiricist science

Episode 22. Theory-informed evidence: Excavating data in social science

Episode 23. Theory adjudication in social science

Episode 24. Building evidence networks in social science

Episode 25. Organised scepticism or mutual incomprehension?

Episode 26. Postscript: Post-empiricism versus post-truth

Part III: How to think about generality

Introduction to Part III

Episode 27. Two modes of generality: Simple and extensional

Episode 28. Generality in the spoken word: Indexicality versus abstraction

Episode 29. Generality in behavioural science: Universal subjects or weird samples

Episode 30. Generality as typicality: The simplifications of sampling

Episode 31. Generality in medical science: How representative are clinical trials?

Episode 32. Case studies and generality: Transcending the single case?

Episode 33. Incremental steps to generality: Within-case comparisons

Episode 34. Middle-range theory and the confederation of explanation

Episode 35. Populating, testing, and scoping middle-range theory

Episode 36. Research synthesis as generalisation

Episode 37. Comparison, complexity, and the specification of ignorance

Afterword

References.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print record.

ISBN:

9781035321100 (e-book)

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.