Description: Linear regression analysis, with its many generalizations, is the predominant quantitative method used throughout the social sciences and beyond. The goal of the method is to study relations among variables. In this book, Schoon, Melamed and Breiger turn regression modeling inside out to put the emphasis on the cases (people, organizations, and nations) that comprise the variables. By re-analyzing influential published research, they reveal new insights and present a principled way to unlock a set of more nuanced interpretations than has previously been attainable. The emphasis is on intuition and examples that can be reproduced using the code and datasets provided. Relating their contributions to methodologies that operate under quite different philosophical assumptions, the authors advance multi-method social science and help to bridge the divide between quantitative and qualitative research. The result is a modern, accessible, and innovative take on extracting knowledge from data.
Brief description: Eric W. Schoon is Associate Professor of Sociology at The Ohio State University. His research interests include case-oriented and relational methods, sociological theory, and cultural dimensions of contentious politics. His work has appeared in outlets including American Sociological Review, Journal of Politics, Social Forces, and Social Problems.
Review Quotes: 'This outstanding book represents a principled way of taking the ideas we're used to and helping us answer the questions we really want to answer - rather than the ones we think we can answer. It brings a deeply sociological lens to a 'basic' tool in a way that will help push substantive thinking in quantitative methods.' James Moody, Robert O. Keohane Professor of Sociology, Duke University