Concepts and Methods in Social Science ─ The Tradition of Giovanni Sartori

Careful work with concepts is a cornerstone of good social science methodology. Concepts and Method in Social Science demonstrates the crucial role of concepts, providing a timely contribution that draws both on the classic work of Giovanni Sartori and the writing of a younger generation of scholars.

In this volume, major writings of Sartori are juxtaposed with other work that exemplifies important approaches to concept analysis. The book is organized into three key sections:



Part I : Sartori on Concepts and Methods – including an examination of the necessary logical steps in moving from conceptualization to measurement and the relationships among meanings, terms and observations.




Part II: Extending the Sartori Tradition – eminent scholars analyse five key ideas in concept analysis: revolution, culture, democracy, peasants and institutionalization within the context of the Sartori tradition.




Part III: In the Academy and Beyond – both an engaging autobiographical essay written by Giovanni Sartori and reflections from former students provide a unique context in which to situate this varied and rigorous discussion of concept analysis and qualitative methods.


Concepts and Method in Social Science is an accessible text that is well suited to advanced undergraduates and graduate students, providing a distinct and coherent introduction to comparative political analysis.

Introduction David Collier and John Gerring Part I: Sartori on Concepts and Methods 1. Concept Misinformation in Comparative Politics 2. What is Politics? 3. The Tower of Babel 4. Guidelines for Concept Analysis 5. Comparing and Miscomparing 6. Excerpts on Concepts, Definitions, and Models: Democracy:"What Is" vs. "How Much", Politics as Collectivized Decisions, From Classification to Measurement Model Mania Part II: Extending the Sartori Tradition 7. The Intension and Extension of Concepts Gary Goertz 8. Revolution Cristoph Kotowski 9. A Min-Max Strategy for Concept Formation John Gerring and Paul Barresi 10. Democracy with Adjectives David Collier and Steven Levitsky 11. Understanding peasant Revolution Marcus Kurtz 1 2. Institutionalization and Peronism Steven Levitsky Part III: In the Academy and Beyond 13. Chance, Luck and Stubbornness: An Autobiographical Essay Giovanni Sartori 14. Teacher and Mentor Cindy Skach, Edward Walker, Hector Schamis Edward Gibson and Christoph Kotowski 15. Biography and Bibliography Oreste Massari