Twenty Years of Testing Theories: What Have We Learned and Why?

Abstract

Despite 20 years of extensive research, criminology has not made scientific progress in the sense of falsifying some theories and accumulating verified knowledge in the context of other theories. The problem lies in theory. This article presents a new conception of theorizing as a cumulative, iterative, developmental enterprise directed toward falsification, rather than as an “all or nothing” enterprise directed toward explanation. Scientific progress requires that theorizing, like researching, be nurtured in graduate education, publications, grants, and faculty hiring, tenure, and promotion.