About the Book
It seems like most of what we read about the academic social sciences in the mainstream media is negative. The field is facing mounting criticism, as canonical studies fail to replicate, questionable research practices abound, and researcher social and political biases come under fire. In response to these criticisms, Matt Grossmann, in How Social Science Got Better, provides a robust defense of the current state of the social
sciences. Applying insights from the philosophy, history, and sociology of science and providing new data on research trends and scholarly views, he argues that, far from crisis, social science is undergoing an
unparalleled renaissance of ever-broader understanding and application. According to Grossmann, social science research today has never been more relevant, rigorous, or self-reflective because scholars have a much better idea of their blind spots and biases. He highlights how scholars now closely analyze the impact of racial, gender, geographic, methodological, political, and ideological differences on research questions; how the incentives of academia influence our research practices; and how
universal human desires to avoid uncomfortable truths and easily solve problems affect our conclusions. Though misaligned incentive structures of course remain, a messy, collective deliberation across
the research community has shifted us into an unprecedented age of theoretical diversity, open and connected data, and public scholarship.Grossmann's wide-ranging account of current trends will necessarily force the academy's many critics to rethink their lazy critiques and instead acknowledge the path-breaking advances occurring in the social sciences today.
Table of Contents:
Preface: Where I Sit
1. Social Science Biases and Collective Knowledge
2. Open Science Reform and Social Science Progress
3: The Quiet Resolution of the Science Wars
4: Me-search All the Way Down
5: American Academia: The Setting for Social Science
6: Opportunities and Constraints of the Disciplines
7: Multiple Levels of Analysis and Time Scales
8: All History and Policy
9: Motivations and Constraints of a Practical Orientation
10: Popularization and Consilience
Conclusion: Advancing the Ongoing Story
References
Index
About the Author :
Matt Grossmann is Director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University. He is also Senior Fellow at the Niskanen Center and a Contributor at FiveThirtyEight. He has published analysis in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico and hosts the Science of Politics podcast. He is the author or coauthor of many books,
including Asymmetric Politics, Red State Blues, The Not-So-Special Interests, Artists of the Possible, and Campaigns & Elections, as well as dozens of journal articles.
Review :
"Only a few decades ago, social scientists merely studied the problems of human society. Today we contribute to their solutionDLfinding their causes; developing new methods, theories, and datasets; proposing and evaluating public policies; and building a science of human behavior. A change this monumental deserves this important book with Matt Grossmann as our expert tour director. Don't miss it." -- Gary King, Harvard University
"Grossmann's brilliant book provides a nuanced, thoughtful analysis of the improving trajectory of social science resulting from bigger better data, a more diverse and interdisciplinary academy, methodological advances, and greater engagement with the real world. A book of major importance for practicing social scientists, as well as for the rest of the world who try to understand what social scientists do." -- Scott Page, University of Michigan
"As social science has become more popular and public, it has also come under assault on many fronts. Yet in this compelling and provocative book, Matt Grossmann offers an important counter, arguing that the social sciences are stronger and more vibrant than they have ever been due to the increasing diversity of practitioners, growing humility and caution in offering grand claims, and vast expansions of available data and evidence. Most importantly, Grossmann
argues that social science has both the incentive for, and multiple means of, correction and regulation that persistently push scholars in the direction of the truth. The book is sure to generate
considerable debate and discussion, but its primary thesis is unquestionably hopeful: The social scientists are alright." -- Christina Wolbrecht, University of Notre Dame
"In this optimistic and self-reflective book, Grossmann reminds us that the social sciences are absolutely fundamental to understanding ourselves, our societies, our politics. He shows how the social sciences have turned their ample analytical powers to improving our techniques, data, and capabilities to improving our understandings. The book makes a strong case that social science has improved and that improvement can continue." -- Roger Pielke Jr. ,
University of Colorado Boulder
"How Social Science Got Better is wide-ranging, accessible, fair-minded, and deeply informedDLan indispensable guide to trends in the social sciences and how they make the claims they do. Covering topics from the reproducibility crisis to political polarization, it will be invaluable to a wide swath of social scientists who care about making their fields betterDLand to a broader public asking hard questions about the value of social science today." --
Elizabeth Popp Berman, University of Michigan
