Interpretive Social Science: An Anti-Naturalist Approach

Politics & Social Sciences

Blakely, Jason

Bevir, Mark

Social Sciences

Oxford University Press

In this book Mark Bevir and Jason Blakely set out to make the most comprehensive case yet for an 'interpretive' or hermeneutic approach to the social sciences. Interpretive approaches are a major growth area in the social sciences today. This is because they offer a full-blown alternative to the behavioralism, institutionalism, rational choice, and other quasi-scientific approaches that dominate the study of human behavior. In addition to presenting a systematic case for interpretivism and a critique of scientism, Bevir and Blakely also propose their own uniquely 'anti-naturalist 'notion of an interpretive approach. This anti-naturalist framework encompasses the insights of philosophers ranging from Michel Foucault and Hans-Georg Gadamer to Charles Taylor and Ludwig Wittgenstein, while also resolving dilemmas that have plagued rival philosophical defenses of interpretivism. In addition, working social scientists are given detailed discussions of a distinctly interpretive approach to methods and empirical research. The book draws on the latest social science to cover everything from concept formation and empirical inquiry to ethics, democratic theory, and public policy. An anti-naturalist approach to interpretive social science offers nothing short of a sweeping paradigm shift in the study of human beings and society. This book will be of interest to all who seek a humanistic alternative to the scientism that overwhelms the study of human beings today.

The State as Cultural Practice offers a fully worked out account of the authors' distinctive interpretive approach to political science. It challenges the new institutionalism, probably the most significant present-day strand in both American and British political science. It moves away from such notions as 'bringing the state back in', 'path dependency' and modernist empiricism. Instead, Bevir and Rhodes argue for an anti-foundational analysis, ethnographic and historical methods, and a decentred approach that rejects any essentialist definition of the state and espouses the idea of politics as cultural practice. The book has three aims: to develop an anti-foundational theory of the state; to develop a new research agenda around the topics of rule, rationalities, and resistance; and by exploring empirical shifts and debates about the changing nature of the state to show how anti-foundational theory leads us to see them differently.Bevir and Rhodes argue for the idea of 'the stateless state' or the state as meaning-in-action. So, the state is neither monolithic nor a causal agent. It consists solely of the contingent actions of specific individuals; of diverse beliefs about the public sphere, about authority and power, which are constructed differently in contending traditions. Continuity and change are products of people inheriting traditions and modifying them in response to dilemmas. A decentred approach explores the limits to the state and seeks to develop a more diverse view of state authority and its exercise. In short, political scientists need to bring people back in to the study of the state.

The State as Cultural Practice

Rhodes, R.A.W.

Politics & Government

The State as Cultural Practice offers a fully worked out account of the authors' distinctive interpretive approach to political science. It challenges the new institutionalism, probably the most significant present-day strand in both American and British political science. It moves away from such notions as 'bringing the state back in', 'path dependency' and modernist empiricism. Instead, Bevir and Rhodes argue for an anti-foundational analysis, ethnographic and historical methods, and a decentred approach that rejects any essentialist definition of the state and espouses the idea of politics as cultural practice. The book has three aims: to develop an anti-foundational theory of the state; to develop a new research agenda around the topics of rule, rationalities, and resistance; and by exploring empirical shifts and debates about the changing nature of the state to show how anti-foundational theory leads us to see them differently. Bevir and Rhodes argue for the idea of 'the stateless state' or the state as meaning-in-action. So, the state is neither monolithic nor a causal agent. It consists solely of the contingent actions of specific individuals; of diverse beliefs about the public sphere, about authority and power, which are constructed differently in contending traditions. Continuity and change are products of people inheriting traditions and modifying them in response to dilemmas. A decentred approach explores the limits to the state and seeks to develop a more diverse view of state authority and its exercise. In short, political scientists need to bring people back in to the study of the state.

The word "governance" is ubiquitous. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund make loans conditional on "good governance." Climate change and avian flu appear as issues of "global governance." The U.S. Forest Service calls for "collaborative governance." What accounts for the pervasive use of the term "governance" and what does it really mean? In this Very Short Introduction, a leading authority on governance, Mark Bevir, considers not only the main theories of governance, but also sheds light on their impact in a variety of areas, including corporate, public, and global affairs. He shows that the word "governance" is used in a variety of contexts, but at a general level, it refers to all forms of social coordination and patterns of rule. Bevir also considers how to differentiate between good and bad governance.

Governance: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Legal Theory & Systems

Interpreting British Governance

How is Britain governed? Have we entered a new era of governance? Can traditional approaches to governance help us to interpret 21st century Britain?This book develops the argument that we can understand political practices only by grasping the beliefs on which people act. It offers a governance narrative as a challenge to the Westminster model of British government and searches for a more accurate and open way of speaking about British government.

Rhodes, Rod

Anthropology

Routledge

How is Britain governed? Have we entered a new era of governance? Can traditional approaches to governance help us to interpret 21st century Britain? This book develops the argument that we can understand political practices only by grasping the beliefs on which people act. It offers a governance narrative as a challenge to the Westminster model of British government and searches for a more accurate and open way of speaking about British government.

Governance Stories (Routledge Advances in European Politics)

An incisive examination of Britain today, which breaks from traditional studies, and takes a new approach to account for massive changes in the make-up of the nation. Over the last twenty years Britain has changed from being governed as a unitary state to a country ruled by the interplay of various forces: central government, the market, public-private partnerships, new local government structures (eg. the new Mayoral system), greater regional autonomy as well as the EU and transnational businesses and organizations. In their earlier book Interpreting British Governance, Bevir and Rhodes examined changes in British government by setting out an interpretative approach to British political science, which focussed on an aggregate analysis of British political traditions. This new study builds on this work to:  provide a theoretical defence of situated agency located in the historical context of British political science compare their approach to British political science with others including, post-structural and institutional analysis present a general account of governance as the context for ethnographic analyses of governance in action deliver studies of the consumers of public services, the National Health Service, government departments and policy networks. This book will be of great interest to advanced students and researchers of political theory, public policy, British politics and British history.

The Logic of the History of Ideas

This book provides a philosophical analysis of the reasoning appropriate to the history of ideas. It addresses three main questions: what sort of meanings do historians study? How can historians justify claims to have objective knowledge of such meanings? What sorts of explanations are appropriate to such meanings? By answering these questions Mark Bevir seeks to clarify the nature of the history of ideas so as to guide historians in their practice, and to illuminate the process by which human thought develops.

Philosophy

Cambridge University Press

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Books by Bevir, Mark

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bevir, Mark. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Interpretive Social Science: An Anti-Naturalist Approach

Interpretive Social Science: An Anti-Naturalist Approach

The State as Cultural Practice

The State as Cultural Practice

Governance: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Interpreting British Governance

Interpreting British Governance

Governance Stories (Routledge Advances in European Politics)

Governance Stories (Routledge Advances in European Politics)

The Logic of the History of Ideas