An analytic narrative is a

social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

research method seeking to combine historical narratives with the rigor of

rational choice theory Rational choice modeling refers to the use of decision theory (the theory of rational choice) as a set of guidelines to help understand economic and social behavior. The theory tries to approximate, predict, or mathematically model human behav ...

, particularly through the use of

game theory Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions. It has applications in many fields of social science, and is used extensively in economics, logic, systems science and computer science. Initially, game theory addressed ...

. The goal of analytic narratives is to provide several forms of discipline on the structure of

case studies A case study is an in-depth, detailed examination of a particular case (or cases) within a real-world context. For example, case studies in medicine may focus on an individual patient or ailment; case studies in business might cover a particular fi ...

, such as a game, out of sample tests, and additional predictions that can be tested even if the main assertion about the case cannot. Analytic narratives (Bates et al. 1998, 2000; Levi 2002, 2004) involve choosing a problem or

puzzle A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to find the solution of the puzzle. There are differe ...

, then building a model to explicate the

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

of an explanation for the puzzle or problem, often in the context of a unique case. The method involves: the use of narrative to elucidate the principal players, their preferences, the key decision points and possibilities, and the rules of game in a textured and sequenced account; and the evaluation of the model through comparative statics and the

testable Testability is a primary aspect of science and the scientific method. There are two components to testability: #Falsifiability or defeasibility, which means that counterexamples to the hypothesis are logically possible. #The practical feasibilit ...

implications the model generates. The analytic narrative approach is most attractive to scholars who seek to evaluate the strength of

parsimonious In philosophy, Occam's razor (also spelled Ockham's razor or Ocham's razor; ) is the problem-solving principle that recommends searching for explanations constructed with the smallest possible set of elements. It is also known as the principle o ...

causal mechanisms in the context of a specific and often unique case. The requirement of explicit formal theorizing (or at least theory that could be formalized) compels scholars to make causal statements and to identify a small number of variables as central to understanding the case. This approach provides two methods for establishing the generalizability of the theory. First, the model in an analytic narrative often affords a range of explanations and predictions. Although the main account of a unique case may not be testable, the model may yield other predictions that can be tested, either in this case or in other cases. Second, as with other methods, out-of-sample tests constitute an important route to

generalization A generalization is a form of abstraction whereby common properties of specific instances are formulated as general concepts or claims. Generalizations posit the existence of a domain or set of elements, as well as one or more common characteri ...

. The presumption today in social science research is that the authors will provide those tests themselves. However, seldom does the level of knowledge for the out of sample case rival the detailed understanding of the original case that puzzled the author. The demonstration of generalizability must rest on a larger community of scholars who take the findings applicable to one place and time to illuminate a very different place and time.

References

* Bates, Robert H., Avner Greif, Margaret Levi, Jean-Laurent Rosenthal, and Barry R. Weingast. 1998. ''Analytic Narratives''. Princeton: Princeton University Press. * Bates, Robert H., Avner Greif, Margaret Levi, Jean-Laurent Rosenthal, and Barry R. Weingast. 2000
"The Analytic Narrative Project"
''American Political Science Review'', 94: 696–702. * Bates, Robert H., Avner Greif, Margaret Levi, Jean-Laurent Rosenthal, and Barry R. Weingast. 2000. "Reply: Analytic Narratives Revisited". ''Social Science History'', 24: 685–96. * Levi, Margaret. 2002. "Modeling Complex Historical Processes with Analytic Narratives". In ''Akteure, Mechanismen, Modelle: Zur Theoriefahigkeit makrosozialer Analyse'', ed. R. Mayntz. Frankfurt/Main: Campus Verlag. * Levi, Margaret. 2004. "An Analytic Narrative Approach to Puzzles and Problems". In ''Problems and Methods in the Study of Politics'', ed. I. Shapiro, R. Smith and T. Masoud. New York: Cambridge University Press.

References

Further reading