China Social Science Review

No.4, 2024

 

 

Xiao Tangbiao

 

The importance of conceptual construction and scale development has been widely recognized by scholars. However, for a long time, it has remained in a state of “ritualistic concern.” “Operationalism,” which lacks robust theoretical support for its concepts, and the simplistic “fetishism” of existing concepts and scales are common issues in political science research. These shortcomings have become significant obstacles to advancing China’s political science discourse and constructing an independent knowledge system. Therefore, efforts should be made to address and resolve the core issues of conceptualization and operationalization of concepts, drawing on both the Chinese context and international academic experience. This includes constructing political science concepts and developing measurement tools that align with international academic standards. The creation and refinement of such operational principles and procedures require not only the technical support of research methods but also strong backing from methodological and philosophical theories.