国际关系定量研究与数据库建设——评《中外关系鉴览1950-2005--中国与大国关系定量衡量》

The Quantitative Studies of International Relations and Establishment of Database: Review on China’s Foreign Relations with Major Powers by the Numbers (1950-2005)

定量研究是国际关系学科的一种重要研究方法。作者对近年来中国五种国际关系研究权威期刊的统计结果显示,中国学者虽然已经陆续开展了对定量方法的研究与使用,但与发达国家相比还有较大差距。《中外关系鉴览1950-2005——中国与大国关系定量衡量》一书以定量研究方法来解读七对中外关系,提出了定量研究国家双边关系的程序和方法,建立了中国与大国关系定量衡量的数据库,对推动中国国际关系研究方法论建设与创新做出了积极贡献。当前,中国国际关系学界的研究重点开始转向对国际关系理论的检验上,以证明理论的实用性。定量研究往往以大样本统计为基础,在检验理论方面的作用举足轻重,应该得到更广泛的推广和应用。面对着引进知识不足、自身学习有限、学界响应不够等问题,中国国际关系定量研究还有待于进一步的努力和探索。

Quantitative approach is an important research method in the International Relations, but the statistical analysis to five kinds of authoritative journals showed that, although Chinese scholars have gradually studied and applied the quantitative method, there is still a large gap compared with their counterparts in the developed countries. The book named China’s Foreign Relations with Major Powers by the Numbers used the quantitative method to analyze seven pairs of Sino-foreign relationships, put forward the pattern and method of quantitative study on bilateral relations, built a database of Sino-foreign relations by numbers, and made a positive contribution to the construction and innovation of methodology of China’s IR. In particular, the book improved the method of event data analysis, which ensures the results accurately and directly reflect the changes of China’s foreign relations with major powers, and provided an important reference for the wider quantitative measure of bilateral relationship. At present, the focus of IR studies in China began to shift to the testing of IR theory to prove the practicality of theory, in which the quantitative study, based on a large sample statistics, has played an important role. However, due to the lack of introduction, limit of self-learning and inadequate responses, the quantitative approach in China’s IR studies still has a long way to go.