Rethinking Social Inquiry

When it was first published, DESIGNING SOCIAL INQUIRY, by political scientists Gary King, Robert Keohane, and Sidney Verba, at once struck chords of controversy. As it became one of the best-selling methodology books in memory, it continued to spark debate in journal articles, conference panels, and books. RETHINKING SOCIAL INQUIRY is a major new effort by a broad range of leading scholars to offer a cohesive set of reflections on DESIGNING SOCIAL INQUIRY's quest for common standards drawn from quantitative methodology. While vigorously agreeing to the need for common standards, the essays in RETHINKING SOCIAL INQUIRY argue forcefully that these standards must be drawn from exemplary qualitative research as well as the best quantitative studies. The essays make the case that good social science requires a set of diverse tools for inquiry. Key additions to the seminal pieces gathered here include an original overview of DESIGNING SOCIAL INQUIRY, a new essay on evaluating causation, and a concluding chapter that draws together basic issues in the ongoing methodological debate.