In the contemporary social sciences and humanities, and in political studies in particular, there is a clear tendency of disciplinary and sub-disciplinary fragmentation. However it is possible to identify a number of general cognitive abilities (integrative organons) that are used in separate disciplines, but are not limited by disciplinary barriers. These transdisciplinary methodologies can integrate the science. Semiotics is one of these methodologies.

The article makes an attempt to investigate the evolvement of geopolitics by searching for the sources of shaping the existing paradigmatic schools. Following the discussion of methodological synthesis, it proposes a hypothesis of the stages of the influence of space on politics, which embraces positivist and post-positivist ideas. The examples from nation-building and centre-periphery relations substantiate the hypothesis.

The article is focused on some methodological problems of modern formal political theory. We discuss reasons for and limits of game theory dominance in the field of institutional analysis. We propose a novel approach to understanding and measuring an institutional quality; it rests upon conceptual and formal design that differs strongly from game theoretic methodology. Our approach doesn’t link the quality of institutions with the incentivesof rational individualsto increase common good.Instead, we state that good institutions are those capable of increasing common goodwhen individual behavior deviates significantly from rational standard. We call such a capacity the institutional robustness. On the basis of this approach we develop and analyze a dynamical formal model.

This paper is devoted to the use of sophisticated methods of analysis in political science. It is focused on the development of domestic political science index analysis, methods of network analysis, logical-combinatorial methods, «electoral forensics». As promising methods for the analysis of political phenomena there are called analysis of latent structure of objects, path analysis, discriminant analysis, fractal analysis, the methodology of qualitative data analysis.

The paper applies the Duhem-Quine thesis to conventional quantitative methods in political science. As a result, the discussion of methodological problems associated with these methods is implanted into the epistemological issues highlighted by Duhem-Quine thesis. Special attention is devoted to the widespread research practices, such as 1) null hypothesis significance testing, 2) large-N analysis and 3) dealing with phenomena with a very broad and general character. The paper argues that, partly due to these practices, some epistomological problems are aggravated: a) structural underdetermination of theories is exacerbated; b) the value of new theories tested via old data becomes unclear and doubtful; c) the convention about the boundary between theories and facts is harder to achieve. Some questions about the conditions of the progress in political science are posed.

The article discusses the strategy of «mixing» methods, particularly prevalent in the Western research tradition. Covers the methods of text analysis, demonstrated the difference between formal or approach on the example of the study of the image of modern Russia in the texts of the American edition of «New York Times», where attention is paid to algorithms work with texts. It is shown that for the study of such phenomena as the image of the country, the combination of formal or approaches to the analysis of the text is a necessary and natural research phenomenon.

The article examines the origins, development and application of qualitative comparative analysis in the last third of the 20 th century and early 21 st.

The article analyzes the role of paradigms in scientific knowledge. The issue of the existence of multiple paradigms in political science regarded. The author is looking for ways to synthesis, the complementarity of different paradigms, coordination of controversial issues.

This article argues that the idea of historical cleavages and the demonstration of historically developed «obviousnesses» of M. Foucault demand to forsake normative standards of freedom and justice that are crucial for contemporary concepts of power, and to reconsider critical and emancipatory strategies that are based on those concepts (critique of ideology, struggle against state violence, seeking consensus, etc.). Considering power at the level of social practices leads to other tactics towards power, that are described in this article.

The author explores the complexity of studying coups in terms of conceptualization, operationalization and conducting comparative quantitative and qualitative research. The place of coups in the theories of political regimes and regime changes, structural and procedural approaches to the study of coups d'etat and the results of color through theories of democratization.

The article highlights the main approaches to modelling in social sciences and covers the main features of modeling in the field of information and political communications. The authors suggest a new approach to the classification of existing communication models and considers the examples of the most popular classic models of communication.

Authors reveal main theoretical disadvantages of the field of corruption studies, including «the missing factor» of corruption studies - corruption market. This paper provides methodology for the new middle-ranged theory of corruption markets that explains different results of the same anticorruption reforms.

Review of the monograph: Fukuyama F. The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution. - L.: Profile books. 2012. - 585 p.; Fukuyama F. Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy. N.Y.: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2014. - 658 p.