Computer Simulation in Social Sciences.
Subtitle: A Logic of Enquiry
Publisher: Editoriale Scientifica - punto org book series directed by Luigi Maria Sicca - www.puntoorg.net
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Naples, Italy
Language: eng
Format: paperback
Number of pages: 130
ISBN-13: 9788863428193
Description: We invite the researcher who is willing to explore the repertoire of methods available for research to read this book.
The reader is none the wiser for being told that a panoply of conceptual tools and methodological approaches are available for doing research. Yet, as the Latin comedy writer Plauto suggested in the 200 BC, Sine pennis volare haud facile est, that is, it is not easy to fly without feathers. The book adds a further feather to the gamut of tools a researcher has at his/her disposal.
We thus suggest reading the book to all those that have a tendency to explore avenues not necessarily widely known.
We dissuade the researcher who has devoted all his/her live to strengthen a specific research approach from reading the book. The idea that different research logics can be blended may result disruptive at times.
This book is not a manual. It rather is a guide into a partially unexplored territory. Perhaps, this book is an introspective guide as well, to help researchers, who have employed computer simulation in their studies, to make sense and corroborate their attitudes and inclinations. 
We hope this map will help the readers to get lost.
Table of contents: title: Preface, Luigi Maria Sicca; title: Foreward, Gianluca Colombo; title: INTRODUCTION; title: Chapter 1; title: The Logic of Enquiry in Computer Simulation Studies; title: 1.	Defining computer simulation; title: 1.1	An historical journey into the advancement of computer simulation in social sciences; title: 2.	The logic of enquiry; title: 2.1 Deductive and Abductive inferences; title: 2.2 The first idealtype of enquiry: Computer simulation and deductive inferences; title: 2.3 The second idealtype of enquiry: Computer simulation and abductive inferences; title: 2.4 Using idealtypes to investigating the interplay of abductive an deductive logics in simulation studies; title: 2.5 What about induction?; title: Chapter 2; title: Coupling Field-Research and Simulation; title: 1.	A combined approach: simulation and in-depth case study; title: 2.	A general framework; title: 2.1 Building of a preliminary theoretical framework; title: 2.2 Building the computer model; title: 2.3 Simulation and theory building: Longitudinal and cross-sectional articulation of hypotheses; title: 2.4 Simulation and theory building: Pattern matching; title: 2.4.1 Sensitivity analysis and history-convergent runs; title: 2.4.2 Sensitivity analysis and history-divergent runs; title: 3. Concluding on the coupling of computer simulation and field studies; title: Chapter 3; title: Computer Model Validation; title: 1.	Introducing System Dynamics; title: 2.	Model validation in System Dynamics; title: 2.1 The logic behind System Dynamics modelling; title: 2.2 The Scientific paradigms behind System Dynamics modelling; title: 2.3 Techniques of validation in system dynamics literature; title: 3.A couple of issues for meditating further; title: 3.1 On the problem of the external validity; title: 3.2 On the Epistemology of Complexity; title: Conclusions; title: References; title: Afterward, Davide Secchi; title: Index of names