Events

Alice Baderin and David Miller will introduce their new book Why Political Theory needs Social Science, followed by critical commentary by Lisa Herzog and Adam Swift. The book volume brings together scholars working at the intersection of political theory and social science to examine the relationship between the two fields. It combines a detailed discussion of examples of interdisciplinary research with wider reflection on the normative significance of empirical evidence. In Part 1, contributors explore the role of different forms of social scientific inquiry, including ethnography, qualitative interviewing, and survey research. Part 2 shows how work on specific topics in contemporary political theory either has been or should be informed by empirical evidence. By presenting diverse models of data-sensitive political theory, the book aims to generate new insights into why, and how, empirical evidence matters to normative thinking about politics.

Alice Baderin is Associate Professor of Political Theory at the University of Reading. She was previously a Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellow at Nuffield College. Her current research interests include a project on ‘Anticipatory Injustice’.

Lisa Herzog is Professor of Political Philosophy in the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Groningen, where she is the Director of the Center for Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Her most recent book is The Democratic Marketplace: How a More Equal Economy Can Save our Political Ideals.

David Miller is Professor of Political Theory and a Senior Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford. He is currently collaborating with Kerstin Reibold on an edited book on The Ethics of Immigrant Integration. He is also working on a book-length project on meritocracy.

Adam Swift is Professor of Political Theory at University College London. His books include How Not to be a Hypocrite: School Choice for the Morally Perplexed Parent and (with Harry Brighouse) Family Values: The Ethics of Parent-Child Relationships.