CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2018
| Author | Madlovics, Balint Istvan |
|---|---|
| Title | The Epistemology of Comparative Regime Theory: An Austrian Critique |
| Summary | Since the so-called third wave of democratization, transitology and conceptualization of non-democratic regimes have piqued considerable scholarly interest, bringing about a proliferation of concepts, regime typologies and corresponding theoretical advancements. As these developments have also caused a great deal of confusion in the literature, I offer two mechanisms in my thesis, which can be used to criticize badly formulated concepts and create better ones. I show how some of comparative regime theory’s concepts, like diminished subtypes, can be criticized by the means of logic (first mechanism) and some, like continuous measures, by the insights of the Austrian school of economics, particularly the frequently misunderstood praxeology of Ludwig von Mises (second mechanism). Re-evaluating the inductive and empiricist method of concept formation of comparative regime theory, I offer a new epistemological synthesis with praxeology, aiming at avoiding future fallacies and making the development of comparative regime theory more systemic and less ad hoc. |
| Supervisor | Zoltán Miklósi |
| Department | Political Science MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2018/madlovics_balint.pdf |
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