The Organizing Efficiency of Theories: The N/V Ratio as a Crude Rank Order Measure1

Abstract

A criterion is proffered for testing the organizing power of a theory: that theory is preferred to all alternative theories which has the highest ratio of the number of cases to which the theory applies to the number of essential variables which that theory must employ, holding constant the minimal accuracy and statistical significance demanded of the findings. The theory that industrial workers are more likely to vote for socialist parties than other workers is evaluated by this criterion. The distinguished authors are on the faculties of the universities of Michigan and Yale.