Redesigning social inquiry : fuzzy sets and beyond / Charles C. Ragin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ragin, Charles C.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social sciences--Research--Methodology.

Social sciences.

Fuzzy sets.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (234 p.)

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

For over twenty years Charles C. Ragin has been at the forefront of the development of innovative methods for social scientists. In Redesigning Social Inquiry, he continues his campaign to revitalize the field, challenging major aspects of the conventional template for social science research while offering a clear alternative. Redesigning Social Inquiry provides a substantive critique of the standard approach to social research-namely, assessing the relative importance of causal variables drawn from competing theories. Instead, Ragin proposes the use of set-theoretic methods to find a middle path between quantitative and qualitative research. Through a series of contrasts between fuzzy-set analysis and conventional quantitative research, Ragin demonstrates the capacity for set-theoretic methods to strengthen connections between qualitative researchers' deep knowledge of their cases and quantitative researchers' elaboration of cross-case patterns. Packed with useful examples, Redesigning Social Inquiry will be indispensable to experienced professionals and to budding scholars about to embark on their first project.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I. Set-Theoretic versus Correlational Connections

Part II. Calibration versus Measurement

Part III. Configurations of Conditions versus "Independent" Variables

Part IV. Analysis of Causal Complexity versus Analysis of Net Effects

References

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 213-219) and index.

ISBN:

9786612070143

9781282070141

1282070142

9780226702797

0226702790

OCLC:

435816573