A Tale of Two Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences

In this book, Gary Goertz and James Mahoney argue that qualitative and quantitative methods represent completely different cultures of practice and thought. The book identifies and discusses the major differences between the two methods. 

The book is available for purchase here.

A journal article discussing the findings explored in the book is available here

Contents

I. CAUSAL MODELS AND INFERENCE

  • 3. Causes-of-Effects versus Effects-of-Causes 41
  • 4. Causal Models 51
  • 5. Asymmetry 64
  • 6. Hume's Two Definitions of Cause 75

II. WITHIN-CASE ANALYSIS

  • 7. Within-Case versus Cross-Case Causal Analysis 87
  • 8. Causal Mechanisms and Process Tracing 100
  • 9. Counterfactuals 115

III. CONCEPTS AND MEASUREMENT

  • 10. Concepts: Definitions, Indicators, and Error 127
  • 11. Meaning and Measurement 139
  • 12. Semantics, Statistics, and Data Transformations 150
  • 13. Conceptual Opposites and Typologies 161

IV. RESEARCH DESIGN AND GENERALIZATION

  • 14. Case Selection and Hypothesis Testing 177
  • 15. Generalizations 192
  • 16. Scope 205
  • 17. Conclusion 220

 

This book was recommended to BetterEvaluation by Rick Davies

Sources

Goertz, G., & Mahoney, J. (2012). A tale of two cultures: Qualitative and quantitative research in the social sciences. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.