A General Framework for Social Science
In: Policy sciences: integrating knowledge and practice to advance human dignity ; the journal of the Society of Policy Scientists, Band 3, Heft 4, S. 385-403
ISSN: 0032-2687
Graphical representation of the dynamic interactions among the elements of a system has found wide application in business, government, & the "system sciences." Although system representation is now ad hoc, it may be possible to develop a standard theoretical presentation in terms of the interaction & feedback of biological, biosocial, cultural, & situational determinants of behavior. The resulting framework must, of course, be modified for each problem addressed, yet the framework forces the analysis to be dynamic as well as static, to avoid overemphasis on factors of interest to a particular investigator, & to show more precisely the effect of adopting alternative social theories. Examining the applicability of this proposed framework to a variety of problems suggests that this approach will assist in the transfer of information between applied & theoretical studies & in the cumulation of social science knowledge. 1 Table, 8 Figures. AA.