THEORY BUILDING

IN POLITICAL
SCIENCE
What is theory building?
Theory building is the process of creating and developing a statement of concepts and their
interrelationships to show how and/or why a phenomenon occurs. Theory building leads to
theory testing.
Theory building is composed of any number of procedures that lead to the production of
theory, where theories are sets of transportable ideas that can be applied to specific situations.

The process of creating and developing a statement of concepts and their interrelationships to
show how and/or why a phenomenon occurs.

Theory-building is important because it provides a framework for analysis, facilitates the

efficient development of the field, and is needed for the applicability to practical real world
problems.
How theories are built in political science?

A scientist makes an observation of a natural phenomenon. She then devises a hypothesis

about the explanation of the phenomenon, and she designs an experiment and/or collects
additional data to test the hypothesis.
The facts are collected by using various tools and techniques of data-gathering. Formulation of
concepts is the next stage of theory-building process in Political Science. Events and
phenomena belong to the world of common sense, but facts have their specific and selective
aspects.
There are many research instruments for data collection. The most popular are interviews,
surveys, observations, focus groups, and secondary data. Different research instruments can be
used depending on the type and purpose of the research
Problem of theory building

Some of the problems a theorist may face in the formulation of the theory are: Reality and
rationality are such points which have an important place in the formulation of the theory. The
slightest carelessness of a theorist can destroy the theory. Overall, theory building is a
challenging task.

Problem of theory confrontation

One major criticism against conflict theory is that it ignores how different social institutions —
family, education, politics, religion, etc. — provide essential functions in society and can work
together to create a balance. This alternate view is known as functionalism.
problems of theory building and theory confirmation in political science

There is a great demand for theories in international relations. The term “theory” has become so
honorific that hypotheses, statements of fact, and intuitive guesses are often dressed up as
theories. In part this longing for theory can be ascribed to a desire for the status of a “hard
science” like physics, since the “hard sciences” are often viewed by laymen as the theoretical
sciences par excellence. They have displayed their power in revealing the secrets of nature and,
when applied to the affairs of men, have achieved notable practical successes like the construction
of the atomic bomb.
On the whole this demand for theory is probably good. We cannot reason without generalization
and, where matters are complex, the web of reasoning logically takes the form of a theory. Most
historical investigations and case studies employ theories inexplicitly—often in the belief that the
generalizations follow from the straightforward presentation of “purely factual” material. There
is usually no recognition that interpretations of factual material can always be presented in a
form isomorphic with theories from the sciences of economics, psychology, sociology, and so forth.