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Philosophy matters for the social sciences. Our world faces ever more complex and hazardous problems and, social science ontology and methods need to be adequate to the changing nature of the social realm. Imagination and new ways of thinking are crucial to the social sciences. Based on Daniel Little's popular blog, this book provides an accessible introduction to the latest developments and debates in the philosophy of social science. Each chapter addresses a leading issue in the philosophy of the social sciences today. Little advocates for an 'actor-centred sociology', endorsing the idea of meso-level causation and proposing a solution to the problem of 'mechanisms or powers?'. The book draws significant conclusions from the facts of complexity and heterogeneity in the social world. The book develops a series of arguments that serve to provide a new framework for the philosophy of social science through deep engagement with social scientists and philosophers in the field. Topics covered include: - the heterogeneity and plasticity of the social world; - the complexity of social causation; - the nuts and bolts of causal mechanisms; - the applicability of the theory of causal powers to the social world; - the intellectual coherence of the perspective of scientific realism in application to social science.

In this innovative book, Daniel Little compares the positions of various social scientists regarding debates in China studies. Little focuses on four topics: the relative importance of individual rationality and community values in explaining traditional peasant behavior; the role of marketing and transportation systems in Chinese society; the causes of agricultural stagnation in traditional China; and the reasons for peasant rebellions in Qing China. He not only makes a constructive contribution to these controversies but also provides examples of the diversity of social science research.

In Microfoundations, Method, and Causation, Daniel Little combines a purely philosophical perspective on social science, with the theoretical and empirical practice of working scientists. Part 1 focuses on the theory of popular politics constructed within the context of analytical Marxism. In part 2, Little asks if rational choice theory provides an adequate basis for explaining patterns of social, political, and economic behavior in traditional China. The essays in part 3 reveal the philosophy of social science as understood by philosophers. Here, Little probes issues of objectivity, empiricism, and generalizations, and makes the case that social generalizations are not akin to laws of nature.

This discerning book outlines the methods, assumptions and achievements of analytical sociology, presenting it as a valuable research approach in the social sciences. Daniel Little argues that analytical sociology provides an ambitious basis for understanding and explaining a range of important social phenomena, while also engaging critically with several key theoretical assumptions of the approach that limit its generality. Chapters highlight analytical sociology's empirical successes in public health, network analysis and political applications. Little demonstrates that current thinking in the field is limited by narrow conceptions of methodological individualism and the actor, and considers social issues such as racial health disparities in the USA, the rise of far-right authoritarian movements and the organizational causes of technology disasters within a broader theoretical framework. He argues that analytical approaches can be enriched through greater engagement with other areas of contemporary sociology, ultimately emphasizing that analytical sociology is a powerful tool when it acknowledges and moves beyond its preconceived limitations. Rethinking Analytical Sociology is an essential tool for academics and students in sociology, political science, public health, public policy, and other social sciences. Its insights will also greatly benefit researchers seeking to understand new developments in the field.

This book provides a better understanding of some of the central puzzles of empirical political science: how does “government” express will and purpose? How do political institutions come to have effective causal powers in the administration of policy and regulation? What accounts for both plasticity and perseverance of political institutions and practices? And how are we to formulate a better understanding of the persistence of dysfunctions in government and public administration – failures to achieve public goods, the persistence of self-dealing behavior by the actors of the state, and the apparent ubiquity of corruption even within otherwise high-functioning governments?

The Scientific Marx was first published in 1986. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions. Marx advanced Capital to the public as a scientific explanation of the capitalist economy, intending it to be evaluated by ordinary standards of scientific adequacy. Today, however, most commentators emphasize Marx's humanism or his theory of historical materialism over his scientific claims. The Scientific Marx thus represents a break with many current views of Marx's analysis of capitalism in that it takes seriously his claim that Capital is a rigorous scientific investigation of the capitalist mode of production. Daniel Little discusses the main features of Marx's account, applying the tools of contemporary philosophy of science. He analyzes Marx's views on theory and explanation in the social sciences, the logic of Marx's empirical practices, the relation between Capital and historical materialism, the centrality of micro-foundations in Marx's analysis, and the minimal role that dialectics plays in his scientific method. Throughout, Little relies on "evidence taken from Marx's actual practice as a social scientist rather than from his explicit methodological writings." The book contributes to current controversies in the literature of "analytic Marxism" joined by such authors as Jon Elster, G.A. Cohen, and John Roemer.

This carefully edited collection of the most-beloved and enjoyed children's classics of all time has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Table of Contents: Dragon Tales: The Reluctant Dragon My Father's Dragon The Book of Dragons Animal Tales & Fables: The Tale of Peter Rabbit The Tale of Benjamin Bunny… Mother West Wind Series The Burgess Bird Book for Children The Burgess Animal Book for Children The Velveteen Rabbit Uncle Wiggily's Adventures & Other Tales Little Bun Rabbit Mother Goose in Prose Lulu's Library The Jungle Book… White Fang Black Beauty The Story of Doctor Dolittle… Aesop Fables The Panchatantra Russian Picture Fables for the Little Ones The Russian Garland: Folk Tales Fairy tales & Fantasies: Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen Complete Fairy Tales of Brothers Grimm Complete Fairy Books of Andrew Lang Five Children and It… Peter Pan Alice in Wonderland Through the Looking Glass The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Collection At the Back of the North Wind The Princess and the Goblin Tanglewood Tales… All the Way to Fairyland Friendly Fairies… Old Peter's Russian Tales Childhood Adventures: Robin Hood Pinocchio Gingerbread Man Little Women The Secret Garden A Little Princess The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Journey to the Centre of the Earth Treasure Island… Anne of Green Gables Collection… The Wind in the Willows The Box-Car Children The Railway Children Oliver Twist David Copperfield… Classics Retold: The Iliad of Homer Odysseus The Arabian Nights Entertainments Viking Tales Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table Chaucer for Children Tales from Shakespeare Don Quixote The Pilgrim's Progress Robinson Crusoe Voyage to Lilliput Little Goody Two-Shoes & Mrs Margery Two-Shoes Charles Dickens' Children Stories The Story of Hiawatha Uncle Tom's Cabin Pocahontas

"Little Leader Lou" is a heartwarming tale of courage and wisdom, inspired by timeless lessons on leadership and life's adventures, perfect for young readers and their families.