positivist key questionsWhat are they key tenets / positions of both hard and soft positivism? Where do they overlap?What lies at the core of the positivism typically practiced today in the policy sciences? Said differently, what is their take on:-the role of theory-standards for making causal inferences-researchers relationship to the observed-goals of research-what makes research reliable, valid, and convincingOver course of next three weeks:How might the answers to the above differ for those working from positivist, interpretive, and critical perspectives?What distinguishes positivist, interpretivist, and critical approaches? Where do they overlap?

Interpretivist key questionsWhat lies at the core of the interpretivist approaches practiced in the policy sciences today? Said differently, what is their take on:-the role of theory-standards for making causal inferences-researchers relationship to the observed-goals of research-what makes research convincing (reliability and validity)How do these standards compare to the positivist approach?-can positivist and interpretivist approaches co-exist?-Do you find one more empirically convincing? If so, why?