The essay argues why the comparative method has been amply debated in reference to cross-cultural synchronic research, while less attention has been devoted to the problems of its application to temporal variance. Three central method-issues are discussed: (1) the definition of `temporal units'...

We provide a definition of institutionalism and a schematic account that differentiates between institutional theories (in which institutions are exogenous) and theories of institutions, in which some (but not necessarily all) institutions are endogenous. Our primary argument is that...

This paper demonstrates the compatibility of three supposedly different approaches to political science. Concentrating upon `new institutionalism' it demonstrates that, by discarding theoretically untenable aspects, the fundamental truths of institutional analysis fit perfectly with both...

This paper offers four main arguments about the nature of causation in the social sciences. First, contrary to most recent work, I argue that there is a unitary conception of causation: a cause raises the probability of an event. This understanding of causation, borrowed from but not wedded to...

Advocates of the theory of rational action are divided in regard to the version of the theory they accept. This paper distinguishes between a narrow version, claiming that the kinds of preferences and constraints to be used in explanations must be restricted, and a wide version imposing no such...