Evera, Stephen Van : Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Stephen Van Evera is Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
Review
"Stephen Van Evera's Guide to Methods makes an important contribution toward improving the use of case
studies for theory development and testing in the social sciences. His trenchant and concise views on issues ranging
from epistemology to specific research techniques manage to convey not only the methods but the ethos of research.
This book is essential reading for social science students at all levels who aspire to conduct rigorous research."
--Alexander L. George, Stanford University, and Andrew Bennett, Georgetown University
"Van Evera has a keen awareness of the questions that arise in every phase of the political science research
project--from initial conception to final presentation. Although others may not agree with all of his specific
advice, all will appreciate his user-friendly introduction to what is sometimes seen as an abstract and difficult
topic."
--Timothy J. McKeown, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Cornell University Press Web Site, February, 2001
Summary
For the last few years, Stephen Van Evera has greeted new graduate students at MIT with a commonsense introduction
to qualitative methods in the social sciences. His helpful hints, always warmly received, grew from a handful of
memos to an underground classic primer. That primer has now evolved into a book of how-to information about graduate
study, which is essential reading for graduate students and undergraduates in political science, sociology, anthropology,
economics, and history--and for their advisers.