Rethinking empirical social sciences

Rethinking the life sciences

Suppose that an international group of scientists presents a 15-year, €750 million research programme to unravel the molecular mechanisms of metabolic syndrome, a disorder implicated in obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other diseases. The results from this project will neither replace obvious preventive measures—such as reducing food intake or increasing exercise—no...

Rethinking the social history.

R has established that social environments affect human health.1 Acknowledged social determinants of health — including racial or ethnic background, occupation, and the use of alcohol and tobacco2 — also influence the effectiveness of health care delivery.3 But other social factors, such as the ability to afford medications, access to transportation, available time, and competing priorities, ma...

Rethinking Governance Empirical Lessons Challenge Orthodoxy

In this discussion draft, linking research findings with concrete operational challenges, we review key issues in worldwide governance, and present recent empirical evidence. Focusing on defining and unbundling key governance components, such as rule of law, voice and accountability, corruption control, and state capture, we then provide evidence which suggests a sobering picture: on average, t...

Rethinking Social Insurance (March 2005)

Social insurance is a subject I have been studying for nearly 40 years. The intellectual and policy revolution in social insurance that is occurring around the world is among the most significant and positive developments of current economics. Social insurance programs have become the most important, the most expensive, and often the most controversial aspect of government domestic policy, not ...

in Humanities , Social Sciences , and Natural Sciences