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what other sciences look like

  • Symposium: Why Political Science is not Scientific Enough
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Abstract

In order to have references for discussing mathematical menus in political science, I review the most common types of mathematical formulae used in physics and chemistry, as well as some mathematical advances in economics. Several issues appear relevant: variables should be well defined and measurable; the relationships between variables may be non-linear; the direction of causality should be clearly identified and not assumed on a priori grounds. On these bases, theoretically driven equations on political matters can be validated by empirical tests and can predict observable phenomena.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, University Pompeu Fabra, Ramon Trias Fargas 25, Barcelona, 08005, Spain

    Josep M Colomer

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  1. Josep M Colomer
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Correspondence to Josep M Colomer.

Additional information

1I am very grateful to Rein Taagepera for pushing on this, as well as for fruitful exchanges with the other participants in the symposium at the ECPR Conference in Budapest, September 2005. I also acknowledge insightful hints made by José García-Montalvo, Ramon Marimon and Andreu Mas-Colell. The usual caveats regarding the author's sole responsibility apply, this time perhaps even more than usual.

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Colomer, J. what other sciences look like. Eur Polit Sci 6, 134–142 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.eps.2210119

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.eps.2210119

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