Sociology: Sociology as Science:
Science, scientific method and critique.
Major theoretical strands of research methodology.
NEWS IN SHORT
Delivering the first Shaibal Gupta memorial lecture on ‘Undethe thumb of history?’
jointly organised by the Centre for Economic Policy and Public Finance (CEPPF) and Asian Development Policy and Public Finance (CEPPF) and Asian Development Research (ADRI) through a digital platform, Banerjee said social science.
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
- Sociological research is especially important with respect to public policy debates. The political controversies that surround the question of how best to respond to terrorism and violent crime are difficult to resolve at the level of political rhetoric.
- The sociological approach to policy questions is essentially different since it focuses on examining the effectiveness of different social control strategies for addressing different types of violent behaviour and the different types of risk to public safety. Thus, from a sociological point of view, it is crucial to think systematically.
- Depending on the focus and the type of research conducted, sociological findings could be useful in addressing any of the three basic interests or purposes of sociological knowledge.
- Depending on the nature of the topic and the goals of the research, sociologists have a variety of methodologies to choose from. In particular, in deciding how to design that process, the researcher may adopt a positivist methodologyor an interpretive methodology. Both types of methodology can be useful for critical research strategies. The following sections describe these approaches to acquiring knowledge.