Author Description

Richard D. McKelvey was a pioneer in the use of mathematical modeling for understanding the nature of political choices. Positive Changes in Political Science brings together his most important articles, accompanied by original essays from contemporary political scientists, some his colleagues or students, who reflect upon his contributions, their continuing relevance today, and how they are still shaping research for the future. "Richard McKelvey's fundamental contributions to the foundations of political choice and to model-based empirical research are brought together in this volume. Their value is greatly enhanced by the perspectives provided by outstanding scholars." ---Kenneth J. Arrow, Stanford University "If there were a Nobel Prize in Political Science, the late Richard McKelvey's name would have been high on the short list. This outstanding book shows why, by presenting McKelvey's original work on seven major contributions to the discipline, along with interpretive essays by numerous major scholars. This book is the essential McKelvey." ---William R. Keech, Professor Emeritus of Political Economy, Carnegie Mellon University "Richard McKelvey made brilliant contributions to political science. This volume collects some of his most important papers and includes perspectives and comments on his work by noted scholars. It is a valuable resource for students and researchers." ---Thomas Romer, Professor of Politics and Public Affairs, Princeton University "This excellent collection of essays, conjoined with reprinted papers by McKelvey, documents the continuing influence of one of the seminal forces in modern political science. High-quality commentaries on some of the most important published papers in political science highlight both McKelvey's empirical and theoretical contributions, and argue that McKelvey did indeed provide the building blocks for the research agendas being pursued today." ---Gary Miller, Professor of Political