Os cinco parâmetros dos modelos teóricos nas ciências sociais

"Every theoretical model in social science has five parameters. First, every model pertains to a certain level of analysis - individual, group, national, world-systemic, or some intermediate gradation. Second, it has one or more dependent variables. Third, it has one or more explanatory variables. Fourth, itr applies to a certain relevant universe of cases. And fifth, it applies to events or processes that take place during a certain period of time. We can refer to the definitions of each of these five parameters as possessing zero order complexity because no relationships among parameters are necessarily involved. However, even at the zero order there is great leeway in defining a concept, measuring it and any explanatory factors, selecting a relevant sample of countries for testing a set of explanations, and defining the period of time to which the explantions apply. And this example applies just to the national level of analysis. With smaller or larger units of analysis one would use completely different variables, cases, and time frames."

Nada como este parágrafo do artigo de Michael Coppedge, "Thickening thin concepts and theories: Combining Large N and Small in Comparative Politics" (Comparative Politics, Vol. 31, Nº 4, 1999), para inaugurar o citário de 2012. Ele os que se seguem sobre ordens crescentes de complexidade (relações causais dentre e dentro de um ou mais parâmetros que aumentam a densidade explicativa às custas da capacidade de generalização) dão uma ótima ementa para um curso de metodologia e desenho de pesquisa.