Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences

Download or read book Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences written by James Mahoney and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2003-02-10 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book systematically investigates the past accomplishments and future agendas of contemporary comparative-historical analysis. Its core essays explore three major issues: the accumulation of knowledge in the field over the past three decades, the analytic tools used to study temporal process and historical patterns, and the methodologies available for making inferences and for building theories. The introductory and concluding essays situate the field as a whole by comparing it to alternative approaches within the social sciences. Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences will serve as an invaluable resource for scholars in the field, and it will represent a challenge to many other social scientists - especially those who have raised skeptical concerns about comparative-historical analysis in the past.