Methodologies for “Political Science as Problem Solving”

Abstract

Abstract The problem-solving approach to Political Science organizes research programs into three phases. First, one uses normative analysis and empirical description to establish a “problem”—that is, an observed fact pattern that violates one’s normative principles. Second, one uses observational-causal empirical methods to establish what types of mechanisms perpetuate the problem. Third, one designs and tests interventions aimed at mitigating the problem. Each of these phases draws in various ways on observational and experimental methods, descriptive and causal evidence, and on theory. The problem-solving approach is a way to let ethics, social utility, empirical rigor, and analytical precision guide the determination of research questions.