All academic disciplines periodically appraise their effectiveness,                  evaluating the progress of previous scholarship and judging which approaches are                  useful and which are not. Although no field could survive if it did nothing but                  appraise its progress, occasional appraisals are important and if done well can help                  advance the field.This book investigates how international relations theorists can                  better equip themselves to determine the state of scholarly work in their field. It                  takes as its starting point Imre Lakatos's influential theory of scientific change,                  and in particular his methodology of scientific research programs (MSRP). It uses                  MSRP to organize its analysis of major research programs over the last several                  decades and uses MSRP's criteria for theoretical progress to evaluate these                  programs. The contributors appraise the progress of institutional theory, varieties                  of realist and liberal theory, operational code analysis, and other research                  programs in international relations. Their analyses reveal the strengths and limits                  of Lakatosian criteria and the need for metatheoretical metrics for evaluating                  scientific progress.

Progress in International Relations Theory: Appraising the Field (BCSIA Studies in International Security) PDF

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