Methodological Problems in Comparative and Cross -National Analysis: Applications of Fuzzy Set Theory
Verkuilen, John V.
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/82556
Description
Title
Methodological Problems in Comparative and Cross -National Analysis: Applications of Fuzzy Set Theory
Author(s)
Verkuilen, John V.
Issue Date
2002
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Gerardo L. Munck
Department of Study
Political Science
Discipline
Political Science
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Political Science, General
Language
eng
Abstract
Seeking to realize the as yet unfulfilled promise of fuzzy set theory and to show in particular how it can be applied in the field of comparative politics, my dissertation addresses three basic issues. First, I show how to scale membership functions, the primary quantities necessary for fuzzy set analysis. This has been a particular deficiency of fuzzy set theory. Second, I demonstrate how it can be used to aggregate multiple indicators so as to form indices for compound concepts. This is yet another critical aspect of the methodology, given that social scientists---and especially comparativists---routinely frame their research in terms of compound concepts such as democracy, development, the state, and so on. Third, I turn to the problem of analyzing relationships among sets and show how it frequently offers a more suitable basis for the testing of theories than more established regression models. I concentrate primarily on relationships characterized by set inclusion, which can be used to formalize necessary conditions.
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