Analytical tools for explaining political outcomes

In PoliticLab, theories are not treated as ideologies, schools of thought, or abstract academic debates.
They are used as analytical tools—or lenses—that help explain why political outcomes occur the way they do.

Each theory highlights certain mechanisms while leaving others in the background.
For that reason, no single theory can fully explain a complex political case.

What a “theoretical lens” means here

A theoretical lens is a structured way of answering questions such as:

• What constrains political actors?
• What incentives shape their behavior?
• Why do some decisions persist over time?
• How does power operate within institutions?
• Why do conflicts escalate or regimes erode?

Using a theory means focusing the analysis, not labeling the case.

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Primary and secondary lenses

PoliticLab distinguishes clearly between two ways of using theory:

Primary lens
The main explanatory framework of the case.
It identifies the core causal mechanism driving the outcome.

Secondary (or supporting) lenses
Complementary tools that refine, contextualize, or qualify the main explanation.
They do not compete with the primary lens—they deepen it.

This approach reflects how political analysis works in practice:
complex outcomes emerge from interacting mechanisms, not from a single cause.

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Why theories are grouped into levels

Theories on this page are organized into four analytical levels.
Each level addresses a different dimension of political explanation:

• structural constraints
• political dynamics
• leadership and decision-making
• conflict and regime change

The levels are not hierarchical in importance, but pedagogical in design.
They help you understand when a theory is most useful, not which one is “better.”

You may start with any level depending on the puzzle you are analyzing.

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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