On theorizing the dynamics of process: A propaedeutic introduction

Abstract

One crucial but sometimes overlooked fact regarding the difference between observation in the cross-section and observation over time must be stated before proceeding further. Tempting though it is to draw conclusions about the dynamics of a process from cross-sectional observations taken as a snapshot of that process, it is a fallacious practice except under a very precise condition that is highly unlikely to obtain in processes of interest to the social scientist. That condition is known as ergodicity.

Citation

Hazelrigg, L. (2010), "On theorizing the dynamics of process: A propaedeutic introduction", Dahms, H.F. and Hazelrigg, L. (Ed.) Theorizing the Dynamics of Social Processes (Current Perspectives in Social Theory, Vol. 27), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 3-79. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0278-1204(2010)0000027005