A Mathematics Course for Political and Social Research

A Mathematics Course for Political and Social Research
Author: Will H. Moore
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 450
Release: 2013-08-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0691159173

Political science and sociology increasingly rely on mathematical modeling and sophisticated data analysis, and many graduate programs in these fields now require students to take a "math camp" or a semester-long or yearlong course to acquire the necessary skills. Available textbooks are written for mathematics or economics majors, and fail to convey to students of political science and sociology the reasons for learning often-abstract mathematical concepts. A Mathematics Course for Political and Social Research fills this gap, providing both a primer for math novices in the social sciences and a handy reference for seasoned researchers. The book begins with the fundamental building blocks of mathematics and basic algebra, then goes on to cover essential subjects such as calculus in one and more than one variable, including optimization, constrained optimization, and implicit functions; linear algebra, including Markov chains and eigenvectors; and probability. It describes the intermediate steps most other textbooks leave out, features numerous exercises throughout, and grounds all concepts by illustrating their use and importance in political science and sociology. Uniquely designed and ideal for students and researchers in political science and sociology Uses practical examples from political science and sociology Features "Why Do I Care?" sections that explain why concepts are useful Includes numerous exercises Complete online solutions manual (available only to professors, email david.siegel at duke.edu, subject line "Solution Set") Selected solutions available online to students

Essential Mathematics for Political and Social Research

Essential Mathematics for Political and Social Research
Author: Jeff Gill
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2006-04-24
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0521834260

"More than ever before, modern social scientists require a basic level of mathematical literacy, yet many students receive only limited mathematical training prior to beginning their research careers. This textbook addresses this dilemma by offering a comprehensive, unified introduction to the essential mathematics of social science. Throughout the book the presentation builds from first principles and eschews unnecessary complexity. Most importantly, the discussion is thoroughly and consistently anchored in real social science applications, with more than 80 research-based illustrations woven into the text and featured in end-of-chapter exercises. Students and researchers alike will find this first-of-its-kind volume to be an invaluable resource."--BOOK JACKET.

The Oxford Handbook of Political Science

The Oxford Handbook of Political Science
Author: Robert E. Goodin
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 1558
Release: 2011-07-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0191619795

Drawing on the rich resources of the ten-volume series of The Oxford Handbooks of Political Science, this one-volume distillation provides a comprehensive overview of all the main branches of contemporary political science: political theory; political institutions; political behavior; comparative politics; international relations; political economy; law and politics; public policy; contextual political analysis; and political methodology. Sixty-seven of the top political scientists worldwide survey recent developments in those fields and provide penetrating introductions to exciting new fields of study. Following in the footsteps of the New Handbook of Political Science edited by Robert Goodin and Hans-Dieter Klingemann a decade before, this Oxford Handbook will become an indispensable guide to the scope and methods of political science as a whole. It will serve as the reference book of record for political scientists and for those following their work for years to come.

The Oxford Handbook of Political Economy

The Oxford Handbook of Political Economy
Author: Barry R. Weingast
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 1112
Release: 2008-06-19
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0199548471

Over its lifetime, 'political economy' has had different meanings. This handbook views political economy as a synthesis of the various strands of social science, treating it as the methodology of economics applied to the analysis of political behaviour and institutions.

The Oxford Handbook of Political Methodology

The Oxford Handbook of Political Methodology
Author: Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier
Publisher: Oxford Handbooks of Political
Total Pages: 880
Release: 2008
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780199286546

The Oxford Handbooks of Political Science are the essential guide to the state of political science today. With engaging contributions from major international scholars The Oxford Handbook of Political Methodology provides the key point of reference for anyone working throughout the discipline.

Positive Political Theory II

Positive Political Theory II
Author: David Austen-Smith
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Total Pages: 476
Release: 2009-11-11
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780472022472

“A major piece of work . . . a classic. There is no other book like it.” —Norman Schofield, Washington University “The authors succeed brilliantly in tackling a large number of important questions concerning the interaction among voters and elected representatives in the political arena, using a common, rigorous language.” —Antonio Merlo, University of Pennsylvania Positive Political Theory II: Strategy and Structure is the second volume in Jeffrey Banks and David Austen-Smith’s monumental study of the links between individual preferences and collective choice. The book focuses on representative systems, including both elections and legislative decision-making processes, clearly connecting individual preferences to collective outcomes. This book is not a survey. Rather, it is the coherent, cumulative result of the authors’ brilliant efforts to indirectly connect preferences to collective choice through strategic behaviors such as agenda-selection and voting. The book will be an invaluable reference and teaching tool for economists and political scientists, and an essential companion to any scholar interested in the latest theoretical advances in positive political theory.

Patterns and Configurations in Economic Science

Patterns and Configurations in Economic Science
Author: J.M. Blin
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2013-06-29
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9401095892

This book was born from the belief that, in an era of narrowly specialized experts, looking beyond the arbitrary borders on one's own field offered the only chance for intellectual survival. The spectacular growth of economics in the past forty years or so has been accompanied by the rapid fragmentation process that seems to characterize the making of any science. If we chose to view this as a symptom of scientific maturity, we would be tempted to welcome this process. But, as economists, we should think of its opportunity cost. In one sense this work attempts to assess the price we have chosen to pay - consciously or not - to win recognition of our scientific status from other disciplines. If, after going through this book, the reader comes out with the feeling that this shadow price is not all shadow after all, we will have achieved one of our goals! Both the merits and defects of this book stem from the fact that we tried to pursue a different approach in the study of economics. This line of thought originates in the area of pattern recognition and machine learn ing. For the past two decades, a number of applied mathematicans, logicians, and engineers have systematically tried to mimic human intelli gence in one of its most important functions viz. that of identifying and recognizing patterns in an a priori unorganized and confusing environment.

Political Marketing in the United States

Political Marketing in the United States
Author: Jennifer Lees-Marshment
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 327
Release: 2014-08-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1136212183

Political Marketing in the United States explores how politicians and parties utilize marketing concepts and tools, providing an up-to-date and broad overview of how marketing permeates U.S. politics. The volume focuses on current and recent elections and leaders, and covers a range of topics, including market research, marketing parties and volunteers, strategy and branding, communications, delivery, and marketing in government. The main themes and objectives of the book are to cover: New and emerging trends in political marketing practice Analysis of a broad range of political marketing aspects Empirical examples as well as useful theoretical frameworks Discussion of state/local level as well as presidential politics This is the first comprehensive treatment of the subject available and captures the field as it is rapidly growing. It is a must-read for students and scholars of political parties, political communication, applied politics, and elections.