This paper discusses basic issues about the nature of measurement for social science concepts. It considers some advantages and disadvantages of standardization of constructs and operations in social science, including the relationships between measures and theory. For science and policy purposes we are concerned with quantities or categories rather than material objects. What does it mean to measure Ôhow muchÕ of a quantity or which category to assign to something? Measurement isnÕt just as

First Author: Committee On Advancing Social Science Theory: The Importance Of Common Metrics; Division Of Behavioral And Social Sciences And Education; National Research Council; Li, Rose Maria

Attributed to: Choices of Evidence. Tacit philosophical assumptions in the debates within the Campbell Collaboration funded by AHRC

Abstract

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Bibliographic Information

Type: Book Chapter

Book Title: The Importance of Common Metrics for Advancing Social Science Theory and Research: A Workshop Summary (2011)

Page Reference: 53-70

ISBN: 978-0-309-16300-2