比较政治学的本源及其未来发展

The Nature and Future of Comparative Politics

比较政治学是政治学的子学科,当前正处于决定其学科本源及作用发挥的'十字路口',前景并不明朗。本文认为比较政治学要避免走各种'制度主义'研究的老路,也不能转向基于理性选择的'简单化'研究路径。比较政治学应当支持当代政治学界'复合依存'的研究观点,并对研究领域中的案例和概念选择做出相应调整。本文旨在探索在这种学科发展更具偶然性且可预见性较低的情况下,进行比较研究的价值和意义,而非提出进行比较政治学研究的新颖范式或方法。

The future of comparative politics is in doubt.This subdiscipline of political science currently faces a'crossroad'that will determine its nature and role.In this essay,I make a(willfully distorted)plea that it should eschew the alternative of continuing to follow one or another versions of'institutionalism'or that of opting completely for'simplification'based on rational choice.It should embrace the'complex interdependence'of the contemporary political universe and adjust its selection of cases and concepts accordingly.Without pretending to offer a novel paradigm or method.I explore some of the implications of conducting comparative research in this more contingent and less predictable context.