International Security & Peace Science: Origins & Evolution

Professor J. David Singer has been arguably the most important influence on quantitative research into the causes and attributes of war. His pioneering work on the Correlates of War project at the University of Michigan and his numerous books and articles have inspired generations of researchers in the fields of international relations, conflict analysis, security studies and peace science.


This collection is a carefully selected overview of his work which provides not only an excellent introduction to his considerable methodological, theoretical and empirical contributions but also an intellectual history of developments in the field of international relations which are reflected in Professor Singer's work.
This is essential reading for all those with an interest in the use of quantitative methods in social science, the changing nature of the study of international relations and the analysis of war and peace.

Jody B. Lear graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Michigan (1983). Jody and her husband owned and operated a successful small business for 23 years while rearing four children. In 2005, Jody renewed her interest in international politics and met David when he agreed to a series of interviews for her master's thesis, during which time David welcomed her into collaborations on his anthology. Jody currently resides in the Western North Carolina mountains where she continues to write a book about Israel's security dilemmas, while also working on several creative non-fiction projects.
Diane Macaulay was married to David Singer from 1990 until his death in 2009. She is a retired social scientist, continues to live in the house where she and Singer lived together, tends her psyche on its two acres, and works for a non-profit organization.
Meredith Reid Sarkees is a long-time affiliate of the Correlates of War project and co-host of the datasets on inter-state, extra-state, intra-state, and non-state wars. She also worked with David Singer in the Caucus for a New Political Science for many years. Her other research area is women's leadership, and she currently serves as president of the Global Women's Leadership in International Security and as a senior researcher for the Girl Scout Research Institute.

Part 1: Who is this Fellow? 1. The Making of a Peace Researcher Part 2: Earlier Evaluations of National Security Policy 2. The Strategic Dilemma: Probability vs. Disutility 3. Stable Deterrence and its Limits Part 3: Public Dove and Policy Wonk 4. Control and Reduction of Armaments: Hearing before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate 5. Deterrence and Shelters 6. Inter-Nation Influence: A Formal Model Part 4: Querulous and Suggestive Interventions 7. The Incompleat Theorist: Insight without Evidence 8. Escalation and Control in International Conflict: A Simple Feedback Model 9. The Peace Researcher and Foreign Policy Prediction Part 5: Conceptual and Methodological Inspirations 10. The Historical Experiment as a Research Strategy in the Study of World Politics 11.Variables, Indicators, and Data: The Measurement Problem in Macro-Political Research Part 6: From Conventional Concepts to Operational Indicators 12. The Correlates of War Project: Continuity, Diversity and Convergence 13. Reconstructing the Cow Dataset on Material Capabilities, 1816-1985 14. Measuring the Concentration of Power in the International System 15. Militarized Interstate Disputes, 1816-1992: Rationale, Coding Rules, and Empirical Patterns Part 7: Scientific Research Payoffs 16. Capability Distribution, Uncertainty and Major Power War, 1820-1965 17. Foreign Policy Indicators: Predictors of War in History and in the State of the World Message 18. Peace in the Gglobal System: Displacement, Interregnum, or Transformation? Part 8: Sermons for the Next Generation 19. Nuclear Confrontation: Ambivalence, Rationality, and the Doomsday Machine 20. Inter-State, Intra-State, and Extra-State Wars: A Comprehensive Look at Their Distribution Overtime, 1816-1997 21. "New Wars" and Rumors of "New Wars" 22. The Responsibilities of Competence in the Global Village. Appendix: Curriculum Vitae of J. David Singer