Working with Concepts

Offers a lively introduction to new ideas about concepts and concept analysis in political science and international studies.

This book is for anyone who has grappled with developing and systematizing vocabulary in a particular field of study. The applications are to concepts in political science, but the methods and strategies transcend the field and will be useful to those in most areas of study. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.David Collier is among the most influential thinkers on conceptualization, foundational to social science inquiry. An eminent political scientist, he specializes in mixed methods and comparative politics. Working with Concepts brings together David Collier's most influential research on concepts and measurement, refined and reframed, to offer a systematic approach to concept analysis. It serves as a reference book for both students and seasoned scholars grappling with concepts. Collier's essays are accompanied by commentaries by twelve scholars who connect his contributions to ongoing debates in the field. The commentaries open up new lines of research and provoke ongoing scholarly reaction and innovation. Tightly organized with the aim of moving the field forward, this collection of essays explores some of the contours of the field and its milestones to show how careful work with concepts is a foundation of good methodology. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.