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The articles in this symposium explore two fundamental questions in the study of politics: (1) why do we compare what we compare; and (2) how do the methodological assumptions we make about why and how we compare shape the knowledge we produce? Qualitative comparative methods—and specifically controlled qualitative comparisons—have been central to some of the most influential works of social science. Controlled comparisons drive studies on phenomena as varied as the preconditions of social revolution (Skocpol 1979), the divergent effects of working class mobilization (Collier and Collier 1991), and the consequences of social capital for state effectiveness (Putnam 1993). Indeed, controlled comparison is such a dominant force in political science methods training that two leading methods scholars note, "Nearly all graduate courses on comparative politics commence with a discussion of Mill's methods of 'difference' and 'agreement,'" which serve as the foundation for controlled comparative studies (Slater and Ziblatt 2013, 1302).

In this article, we reflect upon the combination of crowd science and online teaching, which we refer to as Crowd Science infused Learning. We discuss Crowd Science infused Learning's conceptual design and its viability in sociology and related disciplines. For this purpose, our research project 'Data Traces' serves as an empirical case. In the project, we developed an online platform that provided a 45-minute teaching unit, training students in using different forms of digital data: websites, newspaper articles, and administrative register data. Afterwards, students were assigned to predefined, small-scale research tasks contributing to a real-world research project on the social relations in entrepreneurial groups. By completing the tasks, the students could apply their knowledge, gain insights, and contribute actively to an ongoing research project. This combination links students' learning experience with the collection of data for research purposes. We also implemented game elements in the platform's design to support students' motivation. After a brief outline of the Data Traces Project's chronology and key conceptual decisions, the article focuses on a critical discussion of the combination of crowd science and online teaching. Despite significant challenges, we believe that Crowd Science infused Learning is a promising approach and identify opportunities and conditions for a successful combination of crowd science and online teaching.

THE DEMOCRATIZATION MOVEMENT WHICH HAS BEEN TRANSFORMING THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEN COUNTRIES HAD IMPORTANT REPERCUSSIONS ON THE ROLE AND STATUS OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES IN THESE SOCIETIES. THIS ARTICLE DESCRIBES THE CHANGES IN THIS RESPECT IN ROMANIA. IT EXPLORES THE ROMANIAN REVOLTUION WHICH IS THE TERM TO DENOTE THE CHANGES WHICH HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN ROMANIA SINCE DECEMBER 1989.

Social science is a social activity as well as a method of discovery. The researchers' values and politics colour their work and so do their choices of scientific method. This book is about both - the technical effects of values and the political effects of technique. The author reports what social scientists and historians actually do. He sorts out the scientific from the political content in a wide range of old and new work in history, sociology, political science and economics. The overall work is a detailed political and technical criticism of the 'scientistic' programme which would hav.