Varieties of regulatory capitalism: Getting the most out of the comparative method

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Levi-Faur, David
• 署名单位: Australian National University; University of Haifa
• 刊物名称: GOVERNANCE-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF POLICY ADMINISTRATION AND INSTITUTIONS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0952-1895
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0491.2006.00322.x
• 发表日期: 2006

摘要

The rationale behind this special issue's stepwise analysis of cross-sectoral and cross-national variations and similarities of regulatory reforms is explained. The processes of case selection and inference are clarified and justified. At the same time, the article offers a strategy for an increase in the number of cases without compromising the strength of case-oriented analysis. William Whewell's notion of consilience is employed to (a) justify the inclusion of sectoral as well as national cases; (b) justify different degrees of in-depth analysis according to the inferential role of the case in the research design; and (c) suggest a distinction in the inferential process between comparisons that enhance internal and external validity. The article concludes with a systematic examination of cross-sectoral and cross-national variations in a table that provides a panoramic snapshot and holistic picture of the combination of variations and commonalities of the cases analyzed.