In PoliticLab, theories are used as analytical lenses to explain political outcomes, not as abstract debates or ideological positions. Each theory focuses on specific mechanisms—such as constraints, incentives, power dynamics, or decision-making—while leaving others aside, which is why no single framework fully explains complex cases. Analysis is structured by identifying a primary lens (the main causal explanation) and, when necessary, complementing it with secondary lenses that refine or contextualize the interpretation. To make this process more intuitive, theories are grouped into analytical levels—such as structural factors, political dynamics, leadership, and conflict—not as a hierarchy, but as a way to help you recognize when and how each lens is most useful depending on the problem being analyzed.

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How to use this page

This page helps you navigate PoliticLab’s theoretical toolkit.
It does not replace the methodological guide—it points you to it.

Use this page as an entry map, then follow the links to learn the method in detail.

Start here:

Identify the central problem of your case
What exactly needs to be explained?
→ Learn how to define the analytical puzzle in Methods & Analytical Writing: Defining the Analytical Problem

Select a primary theoretical lens
Choose the theory that best explains the dominant causal mechanism.
→ See Methods & Analytical Writing: Choosing and Applying Theoretical Lenses

Add secondary (supporting) lenses when needed
Use additional theories to refine or contextualize the explanation—without overloading it.
→ See Methods & Analytical Writing: Choosing and Applying Theoretical Lenses

Apply concepts consistently across cases
Use theoretical concepts as analytical tools, not as labels.
→ See Methods & Analytical Writing: Analytical Tools and Causal Mechanisms

Each theory page follows the same structure to help you learn how to think with theories, not just about them.

Theoretical Toolkit

A structured map for choosing analytical lenses