An engaging introduction to data science that emphasizes critical thinking over statistical techniques

An introduction to data science or statistics shouldn't involve proving complex theorems or memorizing obscure terms and formulas, but that is exactly what most introductory quantitative textbooks emphasize. In contrast, Thinking Clearly with Data focuses, first and foremost, on critical thinking and conceptual understanding in order to teach students how to be better consumers and analysts of the kinds of quantitative information and arguments that they will encounter throughout their lives.

Among much else, the book teaches how to assess whether an observed relationship in data reflects a genuine relationship in the world and, if so, whether it is causal; how to make the most informative comparisons for answering questions; what questions to ask others who are making arguments using quantitative evidence; which statistics are particularly informative or misleading; how quantitative evidence should and shouldn't influence decision-making; and how to make better decisions by using moral values as well as data. Filled with real-world examples, the book shows how its thinking tools apply to problems in a wide variety of subjects, including elections, civil conflict, crime, terrorism, financial crises, health care, sports, music, and space travel.

Above all else, Thinking Clearly with Data demonstrates why, despite the many benefits of our data-driven age, data can never be a substitute for thinking.

• An ideal textbook for introductory quantitative methods courses in data science, statistics, political science, economics, psychology, sociology, public policy, and other fields
• Introduces the basic toolkit of data analysis--including sampling, hypothesis testing, Bayesian inference, regression, experiments, instrumental variables, differences in differences, and regression discontinuity
• Uses real-world examples and data from a wide variety of subjects
• Includes practice questions and data exercises

F. A. Hayek never published the grand project he conceived in a letter to Fritz Machlup in 1939. As described in the introduction, this work would incorporate intellectual history, methodology, and an analysis of social problems, all aimed at shedding light on the consequences of socialism. He told Machlup that a series of case studies should come first, . . . leading to the fundamental scientific principles of economic policy and ultimately to the consequences of socialism, and the work would form the basis of a systematic intellectual historical investigation of the fundamental principles of the social development of the last hundred years. (Introduction, p. 1)

Studies on the Abuse and Decline of Reason collects the essays that were to be the foundation of that work. The essay Individualism: True and False was written as the introduction to the work. Scientism and the Study of Society provides the case studies, followed by two essays of intellectual history: The Counter-Revolution of Science (his study of the history of scientism in France) and Comte and Hegel.

Hayek did publish all the works found in this volume, but they had never been gathered in a single work as he originally conceived. Editor Bruce Caldwell has provided translations where they were absent and has revised and corrected the text, and his introduction tells the story of Hayek's greatest unfinished piece of work.

F. A. Hayek (1899-1992), recipient of the Medal of Freedom in 1991 and co-winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1974, was a pioneer in monetary theory and one of the principal proponents of classical liberal thought in the twentieth century. He taught at the London School of Economics, the University of Chicago, and the University of Freiburg.

Bruce Caldwell is Research Professor of Economics and the Director of the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University. He is the current general editor of The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek.

The inclusive, flexible alternative to rigid traditional advice.

Completing a systematic review and unsure where to start or what path to take? Set out on your journey confidently with this practical guide written by a team of experienced academics.

With a friendly, accessible style, the book covers every step of the systematic review process, from planning to dissemination.

This book will help you to:
- Work with qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods data
- Understand the how-to of systematic reviews with a range of real-life examples and case studies
- Learn from students who have been in your shoes with FAQs taken from actual supervision meetings.

This book will not only support you to overcome common challenges and pitfalls, it will give you the knowledge and skills to produce an excellent review and you might even enjoy the journey!

Alongside updated examples and case studies, this edition also includes two new chapters to help you write and register your review protocol and understand and synthesise data from correlational and experimental studies.

The book is accompanied by an online guide for teaching, including videos, example documents, further reading, software recommendations and weblinks.

In Metamorphustice(TM) From Savior to CHANGEmaker, readers are guided through the foundational principles of social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion work before being prompted to explore their own stage within the transformation of justice. In this engaging read, Megan discusses the trajectory of social justice reform and empowers readers to drive meaningful change through reflective journal prompts and actionable steps.

Revised for the first time in over thirty years, this edition of Emile Durkheim's masterful work on the nature and scope of sociology is updated with a new introduction and improved translation by leading scholar Steven Lukes that puts Durkheim's work into context for the twenty-first century reader.The Rules of Sociological Method represents Emile Durkheim's manifesto for sociology. He argues forcefully for the objective, scientific, and methodological underpinnings of sociology as a discipline and establishes guiding principles for future research.The substantial new introduction by leading Durkheim scholar Steven Lukes explains and sets into context Durkheim's arguments. Lukes examines the still-controversial debates about The Rules of Sociological Method's six chapters and explains their relevance to present-day sociology. The edition also includes Durkheim's subsequent thoughts on method in the form of articles, debates with scholars from other disciplines, and letters. The original translation has been revised and reworked in order to make Durkheim's arguments clearer and easier to read. This is an essential resource for students and scholars hoping to deepen their understanding of one of the pioneering voices in modern sociology and twentieth-century social thought.

Straightforward and insightful, this is the go-to book for any qualitative researcher who wants to use NVivo to conduct robust data analysis.

Beloved for its conversational style and reliable advice, this text is now in a revised and updated third edition, reflecting key developments in evaluation. It includes expanded coverage of equity and social justice issues, values and cost analysis, visualizing qualitative data with software, and more. Twenty-six concise chapters, or sessions, give students, applied researchers, and program administrators a solid foundation for conducting or using evaluations. Covering both quantitative and qualitative methods, the book emphasizes fostering evaluation use. It shows how to build collaborative relationships with users; formulate answerable evaluation questions; deal with contingencies that might alter the traditional sequence of an evaluation; and collect, analyze, and report data. Student-friendly features throughout the sessions include titles written as questions, bulleted recaps, Thinking Ahead and Next Steps pointers, cautionary notes, and annotated suggestions for further reading. An in-depth case study provides the basis for end-of-session practice exercises.

New to This Edition
*New sessions on context-sensitive evaluation, including the organizational, sociopolitical, and community contexts of a program.
*New or expanded discussions of timely topics: identifying evaluation decision makers, analyzing program costs, coding and visualizing qualitative data with software, and more.
*Updated suggestions for further reading and discussion in every chapter.

In her detailed and down-to-earth style, Zina O'Leary sets out how to approach each stage of your research project; from choosing a research design and methodology to collecting and analysing data, then communicating your results - while showcasing best practice along the way.

This comprehensive guide to each stage of an oral history interview tackles not just the practicalities of process, but also the varied ethical, legal, and philosophical questions that can arise.

Making Social Science Matter presents an exciting new approach to social science, including theoretical argument, methodological guidelines, and examples of practical application. Why has social science failed in attempts to emulate natural science and produce normal theory? Bent Flyvbjerg argues that the strength of social science is in its rich, reflexive analysis of values and power, essential to the social and economic development of any society. Richly informed, powerfully argued, and clearly written, this book provides essential reading for all those in the social and behavioral sciences.

CHANGE! A Student Guide to Social Action helps students learn how to bring about the change they believe will improve their community. What distinguishes an experiential social action class from other social change courses is that students are actively involved in enacting a policy change of their choice, providing first-hand experience of democracy and power. Students can choose to start a new campaign, keep a campaign going from a previous semester, or join a community campaign.

This valuable new edition includes updates to the student vctories section, reordering and updating of chapters for better student learning, and updates to all of the portfolio assignments.

Completing a systematic review and unsure where to start or what path to take? Set out on your journey confidently with this practical guide written by a team of experienced academics.

With a friendly, accessible style, the book covers every step of the systematic review process, from planning to dissemination.

This book will help you to:
- Work with qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods data
- Understand the how-to of systematic reviews with a range of real-life examples and case studies
- Learn from students who have been in your shoes with FAQs taken from actual supervision meetings.

This book will not only support you to overcome common challenges and pitfalls, it will give you the knowledge and skills to produce an excellent review and you might even enjoy the journey!

Alongside updated examples and case studies, this edition also includes two new chapters to help you write and register your review protocol and understand and synthesise data from correlational and experimental studies.

The book is accompanied by an online guide for teaching, including videos, example documents, further reading, software recommendations and weblinks.

A clear and comprehensive framework for bridging the widening gap between theorists and empiricists in social science

The credibility revolution, with its emphasis on empirical methods for causal inference, has led to concerns among scholars that the canonical questions about politics and society are being neglected because they are no longer deemed answerable. Theory and Credibility stakes out an opposing view--presenting a new vision of how, working together, the credibility revolution and formal theory can advance social scientific inquiry.

This authoritative book covers the conceptual foundations and practicalities of both model building and research design, providing a new framework to link theory and empirics. Drawing on diverse examples from political science, it presents a typology of the rich set of interactions that are possible between theory and empirics. This typology opens up new ways for scholars to make progress on substantive questions, and enables researchers from disparate traditions to gain a deeper appreciation for each other's work and why it matters.

Theory and Credibility shows theorists how to create models that are genuinely useful to empirical inquiry, and helps empiricists better understand how to structure their research in ways that speak to theoretically meaningful questions.

From selecting appropriate methods to publishing your findings, this second edition offers a multidisciplinary introduction to the qualitative research process built around the authors' Qualitative Research Cycle - consisting of the design, data collection and analytic cycles.

In his signature pragmatic and friendly style, David Silverman acts as your stand-in supervisor in the seventh edition of this book, taking you step-by-step through different methods for making sense of qualitative data.

Whether you are interested in analysing visual images, interviews, focus groups or online data, this book provides a clear framework for using qualitative data to answer your research questions.

The book provides:
- A strong grounding in research design principles so you can embed best practice into your research project.
- Diverse real-world examples so you can see how principles are applied in practice.
- Coverage of new developments in qualitative research including working with online data.

If you are new to qualitative research or conducting your first research project in the social sciences, this book gives you the practical grounding in qualitative methods you need to get started.

A comprehensive introduction to mathematical and agent-based modeling of social behavior

This book provides a unified, theory-driven introduction to key mathematical and agent-based models of social dynamics and cultural evolution, teaching readers how to build their own models, analyze them, and integrate them with empirical research programs. It covers a variety of modeling topics, each exemplified by one or more archetypal models, and helps readers to develop strong theoretical foundations for understanding social behavior. Modeling Social Behavior equips social, behavioral, and cognitive scientists with an essential tool kit for thinking about and studying complex social systems using mathematical and computational models.

• Combines both mathematical and agent-based modeling of social behavior
• Integrates cognitive science, social science, and cultural evolution
• Covers topics such as the philosophy of modeling, collective movement, segregation, contagion, polarization, the evolution of cooperation, the emergence of norms, networks, and the scientific process
• Discusses more advanced topics, including how to use models to build a more robust empirical research program
• An ideal introductory textbook for graduate students or advanced undergraduates
• An invaluable resource for practitioners

What is the purpose of Geography? What do geographers study and why? How do they seek to shape the world they interrogate?

This book addresses these questions by examining the lives and works of individual geographers, both past and present. Like all disciplines, Geography is no more nor less than the collective endeavours of researchers and teachers operating in specific contexts. The contexts both shape, and are shaped by, these individuals. This book's biographical and autobiographical chapters transport readers to the times and places where geographers have sought to make Geography matter. The result is a more vivid, grounded understanding of the discipline than the many high-level surveys of geographic thought paradigms currently written for university students.

This book's accessible essays each conclude with a study task. Making Geography Matter is aimed at university students and their teachers who wish to understand the goals, history and evolving practice of Geography. It provides an alternative perspective - both concrete and engaging - to the many student-focussed texts that map out numerous 'isms and ologies'.

Creative research methods for data generation have expanded over recent decades and researchers are eager to take a creative approach to data analysis.

It is challenging to bring creativity into data analysis while retaining a systematic, rigorous, and ethical approach. Written by experts in the field, this handbook addresses these challenges. The chapters adapt analytical techniques in creative ways for novice and expert researchers. Existing and novel methods from analysis of quantitative data to embodied, performative, visual, written, arts-based, and collaborative analysis are featured with case examples that are transferable across disciplines.

This collection offers a definitive practical guide to creative data analysis.