James Mahoney
Gordon Fulcher Professor in Decision-Making, Professor of Sociology, and Professor of Political Science
- james-mahoney@northwestern.edu
- (847) 467-0917 and (847) 491-2626
- Scott Hall, Room 402
- Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 11-noon and by appointment
- Make an appointment by email
Area(s) of Interest
Comparative Sociology, Development, Methodology
Relevant Link
Department of Political Science
Biography
James Mahoney is a comparative-historical researcher with interests in political development, Latin America, and methodology. His most recent books are Advances in Comparative-Historical Analysis (2015; coedited with Kathleen Thelen); A Tale of Two Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences (with Gary Goertz; 2012); Colonialism and Postcolonial Development: Spanish America in Comparative Perspective (2010); and Explaining Institutional Change: Ambiguity, Agency, and Power (2010; coedited with Kathleen Thelen).
Mahoney has received several awards for his work on methodology from the American Sociological Association (ASA) and American Political Science Association (APSA). His book on Colonialism and Postcolonial Development received six major awards from sections in ASA and APSA.
Mahoney has been President of the Qualitative and Multi-Method Research Section and the Politics and History Section, APSA, and Chair of the Comparative and Historical Sociology Section and the Development Section of the ASA. He has been Associate Chair of Political Science and Chair of Sociology at Northwestern.
Courses Taught
Sociology:
SOCIOL 317: Global Development Syllabus
SOCIOL 439: Comparative Historical Analysis Syllabus
SOCIOL 476: Comparative Methods
Political Science:
POLI SCI: 490: Methods of Comparative Analysis Syllabus
Books
The Production of Knowledge (coedited with Colin Elman and John Gerring)
Cambridge University Press, 2020
Advances in Comparative-Historical Analysis(coedited with Kathleen Thelen)
Cambridge University Press, 2015
A Tale of Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences
(with Gary Goertz)
Princeton University Press, 2012
Colonialism and Postcolonial Development: Spanish America in Comparative Perspective
Cambridge University Press, 2010
Explaining Institutional Change Ambiguity, Agency, and Power
(with Kathleen Thelen), Cambridge University Press, 2010
Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences
(with Dietrich Rueschemeyer), Cambridge University Press, 2003
The Legacies of Liberalism: Path Dependence and Political Regimes in Central America
John Hopkins University Press, 2001