Developing Theories in the Social Sciences

Jane Sell is Professor Emerita of Sociology at Texas A & M University. She has published widely on theory and theory construction, public goods, group processes and methodology. In 2017 she received the Cooley-Mead Award from the Social Psychology Section of the American Sociological Association for life-time achievement. Murray Webster Jr. is a Professor of Sociology Emeritus at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in sociological theory at several universities. He has published on theory building in American Sociological Review, Social Science Research, and The American Journal of Sociology. He served twice as Program Director for Sociology at the National Science Foundation, and has chaired the Theory, Social Psychology, and Mathematical Sociology sections of the American Sociological Association.

'Drawing on a long and influential record of bringing social science fields into conversation with one another, Sell and Webster offer their latest and most synthetic contribution in Developing Theories in the Social Sciences. Building on earlier work that helped integrate experimental research across disciplines, this book steps back to address the foundations of theory itself: how concepts are formed, how explanations are structured, and how theories connect to empirical evidence. Clear, rigorous, and deeply informed by decades of cross-disciplinary scholarship, this volume will be an essential resource for scholars who want to move beyond isolated findings toward a cumulative and unified social science.' Catherine Eckel, Sara and John Lindsey Professor, Texas A&M University

• 1. What is a theory?; 2. Concepts; 3. Logical sentences and truth; 4. Types of reasoning and definitions; 5. Testing theory; 6. Developing a theory of status effects; 7. Public good theory and research; 8. Avoiding common missteps.