Walt: The Progressive Power of Realism

Walt, S., 1997. The Progressive Power of Realism. American Political Science Review, 91(4), 931-935.

This article is a response to an article written by Vasquez that compares Realism to a degenerative research program in contrast to a progressive research program. This concept stems from Lakatos.

“There are three main problems with Vasquez’s criticism. First, his reliance on Lakatos is problematic, both because that model of scientific progress is flawed and because Vasquez’s interpretation of it would justify abandoning most (if not all) social science theory. Second, Vasquez’s characterization of the realist tradition is misleading and understates its range and diversity. Third, Vasquez overlooks the progressive character of contemporary realist theorizing, in large part because he did not condiser all the relevant literature. In particular, his treatment of my own work is both inconsistent and demonstrably inaccurate” (931).
“The realist perspective offers a simple and powerful way to understand relations among political groups (including states) and offers compelling (albeit imperfect) accounts of a diverse array of international phenomena” (934).