Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences

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Summary: A well-written summary of Elster's main themes.
Review: A very cogent summary of Elster's main themes: rationality and how one departs from it, especially from the static notion common in current rational choice theory. Anyone interested in rationality and departures from rationality--a topic much-ignored in current thinking and applications of rational choice theory-- should read this book. While I don't find that I agree with every conclusion Elster makes, he does make me think hard, which is about the best I ever expect.

Rating:
Summary: Simply put- indispensible
Review: Jon Elster has a long history of being one of the most usefull people in the social sciences. This book, despite its dull name, is wonderful.

Anyone interested in rational choice should make this a first stop- Elster's attempt isn't worth missing.

Rating:
Summary: Corner stone of social science
Review: This book is an indispensible introduction to the social sciences. It should be used alongside with Deirdre McCloskey's Economical Writing and Wayne Booth's et al The Craft of Research. This trio of books provide the corner stones for any social science student: what it is, how to write it and how to do it.