The Production of Knowledge

Social science is simultaneously more successful and more troubled than ever before.  This welcome collection of essays, on different aspects of the social structure of social science, is helpful for understanding what’s gone wrong and how we can do better. Andrew Gelman, Professor of Statistics and Political Science, Columbia UniversityMany of society’s biggest challenges and greatest opportunities depend on understanding social behavior. With such challenges in mind, contributors to this volume describe a systemic approach to social science knowledge production that is simultaneously level-headed and visionary. The book not only develops diverse and dynamic conceptions of what researchers can “know”, but also offers cogent advice about what institutions can do to increase the value of such knowledge. The stakes inherent in understanding human behavior are high. The service that social science can provide to society is great. For those who seek to contribute to society by energizing and advancing social science research, this book is a vital reference. Arthur Lupia, Hal R Varian Collegiate Professor, University of Michigan

Colin Elman is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Qualitative and Multi-Method Inquiry in the Maxwell School, Syracuse University. He co-founded (with Diana Kapiszewski, Georgetown University) the Qualitative Data Repository.

John Gerring is Professor of Government at University of Texas at Austin. He serves as co-PI of Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) and the Global Leadership Project (GLP).

James Mahoney is the Gordon Fulcher Professor in Decision-Making at Northwestern University, where he holds appointments in Political Science and Sociology. He is founding director of the Comparative-Historical Social Science (CHSS) program at Northwestern.