Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

How broken is social science? (with Matt Grossman)

Sep 2, 2021

Join Matt Grossmann, Director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, as he delves into the state of social science. He discusses the difficulties in studying human behavior versus other sciences and the ongoing replication crisis affecting credibility. Grossmann highlights advancements in methodologies and the challenges in political predictions, particularly post-2016 election. The conversation also touches on the importance of diversity in perspectives and the evolving self-reflection within research communities, especially amidst the recent pandemic.

01:05:24

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Episode guests

Matt Grossmann

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Challenges and Advances in Social Science Predictions

12min

Causality in Social Science Research

4min

The Replication Crisis in Social Science

15min

Exploring Self-Reflection in Social Science Research

3min

Navigating Social Science in Crisis

12min

Exploring Biases in Social Science Research and Political Discourse

2min

Navigating Social Science: Challenges and Opportunities

15min

Read the full transcript here.

What makes studying humans harder than studying other parts of the universe? Is social science currently improving its rigor, relevance, and self-reflection? Is it improving its predictive power over time? Why have sample sizes historically been so small in social science studies? Is social science actually able to accumulate knowledge? Have social scientists been able to move the "needle" on real-world problems like vaccine adoption? Is social science becoming more diverse? Specifically, does social science have a political bias? Are universities in crisis? Do the incentive structures in universities make them difficult or even impossible to reform?

Matt Grossmann is Director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University. He is also Senior Fellow at the Niskanen Center and a Contributor at FiveThirtyEight. He has published analysis in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico, and hosts the Science of Politics podcast. He is the author or co-author of How Social Science Got Better, Asymmetric Politics, Red State Blues, The Not-So-Special Interests, Artists of the Possible, and Campaigns & Elections, as well as dozens of journal articles. You can find more about him on his website.

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