Douglas McAdam, director, Center for Advanced Study in the Behaviorial Sciences, Stanford University
Written by some of the most skilled and innovative methodologists in political science, the individual essays are consistently excellent.

Theda Skocpol, Harvard University
A breakthrough book. All political scientists—indeed all social scientists—should read and reflect on this compelling set of arguments.

Christopher H. Achen, Princeton University
Everyone interested in research methods, and certainly everyone teaching the subject, will want to read this book.

Michael Wallerstein, Yale University
These essays ought to be on the reading list of the introductory methods course that all graduate programs offer.

Book Description
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. Published in cooperation with the Berkeley Public Policy Press.

From the Publisher
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. Published in cooperation with the Berkeley Public Policy Press. Review by Michael Wallerstein, Yale University in on : "The authors display a sophisticated understanding of the diverse strengths and pitfalls of quantitative and qualitative methods of inference within the context of a common commitment to the idea that political science is a scientific enterprise. The essays in this collection ought to be on the reading list of the introductory methods course that all graduate programs offer."

From the Inside Flap
Features: --The debate about the relative value of and relationship between qualitative and quantitative research rages on and this book captures its essence. --Both editors and contributors are among the very best in key social science fields including political science, sociology, education, and beyond. --Simple, straightforward presentation of difficult material with a minimum of technical jargon and mathematical notation. --Jumps off from the perspective of Designing Social Inquiry, one of the best-selling methods books of all time. Transcends this benchmark work by integrating quantitative and qualitative perspectives, sharing tools, and otherwise setting a new benchmark for methods discourse. --Includes learning aids such as compact summary tables, glossary of key terms, annotated references, name and subject indexes, and more.

About the Author
Henry E. Brady is Robson Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and director of the Berkeley Survey Research Center.

SYNOPSIS