Gary Goertz

Gary Goertz is a scholar of international conflict, conflict management, and peace. He is the author or co-author of 10 books and more than 50 articles and chapters on international conflict and peace, institutions, norms, and methodology. His publications in this area include Contexts of International Politics (1994, Cambridge), Explaining War and Peace (2007) and, with Paul Diehl, Territorial Changes and International Conflict (1992) and War and Peace in International Rivalry (2000).

A major focus of his current research is the Causes of Peace project, which explores the rise of peace in the international system. One central area of activity is the theory of international institutions and norms, which was an important of part of his book Contexts of International Politics (1994, Cambridge) and then expanded and developed further in the book International Norms and Decisionmaking: A Punctuated Equilibrium Model (Rowman and Littlefield, 2004). His most recent book in this project is The Puzzle of Peace: The Evolution of Peace in the International System, co-authored with Alexandru Balas and Paul Diehl (2016, Oxford University Press). It offers an international peace dataset that is the first of its kind and explores and explains the rise in international peace since 1945.

Goertz’s other major research emphasis is methodology. His methodological works include Social Science Concepts: A User’s Guide (2006, Princeton University Press), Politics, Gender, and Concepts: Theory and Methodology (2008, Cambridge University Press), and A Tale of Two Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences (2012, Princeton University Press). His most recent book, Multimethod Research, Causal Mechanisms, and Case Studies: The Research Triad (2017, Princeton University Press), focuses on combining integrating different methodologies into a coherent research agenda.