Books by Daniel Little

This book provides a better understanding of some of the central puzzles of empirical political science: how does "government" express will and purpose?

In this book, Daniel Little dissects these paradoxes offering the clearest perspective on how best to approach international development. Using both empirical and philosophical approaches, Little provides a schematic acquaintance with the most important facts about global development at the turn of the twentieth century.

A study of the positions of various social scientists on debates in China studies, Little focuses on four topics: traditional peasant behaviour, the role of marketing and transport systems in Chinese society, the causes of agricultural stagnation and the reasons for the rebellion in Qing China.

Philosophy matters for the social sciences. Our world faces ever more complex and hazardous problems and, social science ontology and methods need to be adequate to the changing nature of the social realm. Imagination and new ways of thinking are crucial to the social sciences. Based on Daniel Littles popular blog, this book provides an accessible introduction to the latest developments and debates in the philosophy of social science. Each chapter addresses a leading issue in the philosophy of the social sciences today. Little advocates for an actor-centred sociology, endorsing the idea of meso-level causation and proposing a solution to the problem of mechanisms or powers?. The book draws significant conclusions from the facts of complexity and heterogeneity in the social world. The book develops a series of arguments that serve to provide a new framework for the philosophy of social science through deep engagement with social scientists and philosophers in the field. Topics covered include:- the heterogeneity and plasticity of the social world;- the complexity of social causation;- the nuts and bolts of causal mechanisms;- the applicability of the theory of causal powers to the social world;- the intellectual coherence of the perspective of scientific realism in application to social science.

This book combines insights developed by philosophers of the social sciences with the writings of historians to offer a unique perspective touching on a wide range of topics, from the French and Chinese revolutions to agriculture and the industrial age.

In this book, Daniel Little dissects these paradoxes offering the clearest perspective on how best to approach international development. Using both empirical and philosophical approaches, Little provides a schematic acquaintance with the most important facts about global development at the turn of the twentieth century.