Natural Experiments of History

Natural Experiments of History

In eight case studies by leading scholars in history, archaeology, business, economics, geography, and political science, the authors showcase the â€œnatural experimentâ€ or â€œcomparative methodâ€â€”well-known in any science concerned with the pastâ€”on the discipline of human history. That means, according to the editors, â€œcomparing, preferably quantitatively and aided by statistical analyses, different systems that are similar in many respects, but that differ with respect to the factors whose influence one wishes to study.â€ The case studies in the book support two overall conclusions about the study of human history: First, historical comparisons have the potential for yielding insights that cannot be extracted from a single case study alone. Second, insofar as is possible, when one proposes a conclusion, one may be able to strengthen oneâ€™s conclusion by gathering quantitative evidence (or at least ranking oneâ€™s outcomes from big to small), and then by testing the conclusionâ€™s validity statistically.
Country USA
Manufacturer Belknap Press
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2012-10-01
Format Kindle eBook
EANs 9780674076730

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