TY - BOOK AU - Taagepera,Rein TI - Making social sciences more scientific: the need for predictive models SN - 9780199534661 (hbk.) : PY - 2008/// CY - Oxford PB - Oxford University Press KW - Social sciences KW - Research KW - Fieldwork KW - Methodology KW - Sociology N1 - Includes bibliographical references (p. [241]-247) and index; Why social sciences are not scientific enough -- Can social science approaches find the law of gravitation? -- How to construct predictive models: simplicity and nonabsurdity -- Example of model building: electoral volatility -- Physicists multiply, social scientists add---even when it does not add up -- All hypotheses are not created equal -- Why most numbers published in social sciences are dead on arrival -- Forbidden areas and anchor points -- Geometric means and lognormal distributions -- Example of interlocking models : party sizes and cabinet duration -- Beyond constraint-based models : communication channels and growth rates -- Why we should shift to symmetric regression -- All indices are not created equal -- From descriptive to predictive approaches -- Recommendations for better regression -- Converting from descriptive analysis to predictive models -- Are electoral studies a rosetta stone for parts of social sciences? -- Beyond regression : the need for predictive models UR - http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0907/2008015441-b.html UR - http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0907/2008015441-d.html UR - http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0907/2008015441-t.html ER -