Benjamin A. Most and
Harvey Starr

6 x 9, 234 pages
paper, ISBN 0-87249-630-9, $21.95s

ABOUT THE BOOK

Through the use of logic, simulation, and empirical data, Most and Starr develop and demonstrate a new and more appropriate conceptualization of explanation in international relations and foreign policy. They demonstrate that a concern with the logical underpinnings of research raises a series of theoretical, conceptual and epistemological issues that must be addressed if theory and research are to meet the challenges of cumulation in the study of international relations. The authors argue for understanding the critical, yet subtle, interplay of the elements within a research triad composed of theory, logic and method.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Benjamin A. Most was an associate professor of political science at the University of Iowa at the time of his death in 1986. After receiving his doctorate from Indiana University, he taught at Brown University before moving to Iowa. He distinguished himself as an expert in the study of war and international conflict, methodology and research design.

Harvey Starr is a professor and chair of the Political Science Department at Indiana University. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1971 and has taught at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Beginning in the fall of 1989, Dr. Starr joined the faculty at the University of South Carolina as the Dag Hammarskjold Professor in International Affairs. A recognized authority in the areas of geopolitics and diffusion of international conflict, his recent books include Henry Kissinger: Perceptions of International Politics (1984) and World Politics: The Menu for Choice.