Borrowing the expression from sidney tarrow, the synthetic. The synthetic control method provides a systematic way to choose comparison units in comparative case studies. Computerassisted text analysis for comparative politics. Apr 27, 2017 comparative research can inform projects at early stages, providing fodder and direction for initial design concepts, and in the midst of design iterations when refining content, interaction, and general architectural patterns. Research in social sciences largely depends on measurements and analysis and interpretation of numerical as well as non numerical data. Addresses what was the historical core of comparative politics as it emerged and established itself as a field within the discipline of political science. The following sections provide a more detailed examination of the various types of quantitative and qualitative research methods, as well as the limitations of these methods in general. Pdf leading methods for pursuing qualitative research in the field of comparative politics are discussed. In the literature of comparative politics, a wide variety of meanings is attached to the terms comparison and comparative method. Recent trends and developments in quantitative methods show that quantitative and qualitative methods are. The caseoriented tradition is much older and is populated largely by area and country experts.
Building on the strengths of the first edition, this accessible and userfriendly textbook explores the strategies of comparative research in political science. Comparative research methods frank esser university of zurich, switzerland rens vliegenthart university of amsterdam, the netherlands introduction. The comparative method is defined here as one of the basic methods the others being the experimental, statistical, and case study methods of establishing general empiri. By embracing aspects of both qualitative and quantitative methods, comparative methods can circumvent some of the limitations of both approaches. Comparative politics provides a comprehensive, theoretical, and methodological introduction to the field of comparative politics. It is a method or a set of procedures which compares related languages, descendants from a common ancestral language, in order to postulate, to reconstruct, the ancestral language.
The comparative method political science, uc berkeley. Quantitative comparative analysis department of political. Potentials and limitations of comparative method in social. Substantively, this can include questions relating to political institutions, political behavior, conflict, and the causes and consequences of. May 09, 20 evaluating the research methods of three modern classics of comparative politics. Thomas plumper contributes a discussion on comparative politics in europe. Comparative politics and the synthetic control method. Mixed methods in comparative politics download mixed methods in comparative politics ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. Pdf area studies, comparative politics, and the role of. Introduction to quantitative methods harvard law school.
Click download or read online button to mixed methods in comparative politics book pdf for free now. Kittel argues that one of the most customary and popular methods in comparative research macroquantitative comparative research is in fact a crazy methodology following a claim made by cartwright, 2002. Pdf data usage in quantitative comparative politics c. All of these variables have qualitative categories that cannot be or dered in terms of magnitude or degree. Its emphasis is on both the limitations of the method and the ways in which, despite these limitations, it can be used to maximum advantage. Evaluating research methods of comparative politics. The comparative method is defined and analyzed in terms of its similarities and differences visavis the experimental and statistical methods. The field of comparative politics involves the systematic and comparative study of nations and their political systems. Quantitative empirical methods and the contextconditionality of classic and modern comparative politics robert j. But comparative research is not merely a bridge, for it has many distinctive features and strengths. In order to clarify this point of view, we shall first discuss some of the existing. This systematization opens the door to precise quantitative inference in small. Comparative politics uc berkeley political science. Mixed methods designs have received burgeoning attention in the academic community during the last decade not only in the social sciences but also in public health research and psychological science giddings, 2006.
Designing research with qualitative comparative analysis. Leading methods for pursuing qualitative research in the field of comparative politics are discussed. Comparative politics and the synthetic control method alberto abadie harvard university and nber alexis diamond international finance corporation jens hainmueller stanford university in recent years, a widespread consensus has emerged about the necessity of establishing bridges between quantitative and. Comparative research is persistent problems and promising. After explaining the use of theory in comparative political analysis, the chapter considers. Data usage in quantitative comparative politics andreas. Qcas home base is comparative sociology comparative politics, where there is a strong tradition of caseoriented work alongside an extensive and growing body of quantitative crossnational research. Comparative politics concentration required courses. Kittel argues that one of the most customary and popular methods in comparative research macro quantitative comparative research is in fact a crazy methodology following a claim made by cartwright, 2002.
It begins by examining different methods, then highlights some of the big issues in comparative politics using a wealth of topical examples before discussing the new challenges in the area. Comparative politics is key area in political science, pigeonholed by an empirical approach based on the comparative method. Written by a wellestablished author with an international reputation, comparative politics, surveys the best work in the field, examining the issues involved in an attempt to compare political systems and discussing how the methods and results of comparative politics can be improved. It also indicates that if the researcher is starting from a quantitative database, then methods for finding influential outliers can be used. Qualitative research is designed to explore the human elements of a given topic, while specific qualitative methods examine how individuals see and experienc. There are two major methods that researchers can apply when they conduct comparative research.
A common approach of the comparative method that selects cases that are alike in a number of ways, but differ on a key question under examination. Members of the departments comparative politics faculty are widely recognized as national and international leaders, and the departments strengths have grown in recent years. Politics of qualitative research the sage encyclopedia of qualitative research methods search form. Quantitative methods are essentially a variety of research techniques that are used to gather quantitative data. The comparative method is defined here as one of the basic methods the others being the experimental, statistical, and case study methods of establishing general empirical propositions. Oct 28, 2011 abadie, alberto and diamond, alexis j. Pdf data usage in quantitative comparative politics. Comparisons of different political contexts are thus central to political theory. Assessing quantitative macro comparative welfare state research with qualitative criteria. On one hand, qualitative researchers in this field use a variety of methods of theory. To put it in another way, comparative politics is the study of the domestic politics, political institutions, and conflicts of countries. Comparative politics, chapter 1 flashcards quizlet.
Pdf comparative politics and the comparative method. Employing an original dataset of comparative politics articles published in leading academic journals between 1989 and 2007, this article offers the first empirical analysis of data usage in comparative research. Application of political science theories to the health care sector. Descriptive statistics are performed by analyzing one variable at a time univariate analysis. Modern approaches to comparative politics, nature of. Comparative politics is a field in political science characterized either by the use of the comparative method or other empirical methods to explore politics within as opposed to between countries. Computerassisted text analysis for comparative politics christopher lucas department of government and institute for quantitative social science, harvard university, 1737 cambridge st.
Oxford handbook of comparative politics edited by carles boix and susan stokes table of contents introduction c. Precisely at a time when a concerted push to develop quantitative methods suitable for political science, and to expand training in these methods, was taking off,43. Macrosocial processes in the study of comparative politics. Potentials and limitations of comparative method in social science reza azarian stockholm university sweden email. Integrating theories, methods, and cases unlimited.
Moving beyond qualitative and quantitative strategies. What is the comparative method of political analysis. Nielsen department of political science, massachusetts institute of technology, 77. In politics, however, social scientists cannot simply manipulate an institution or law to see what might happen. Jun 29, 2012 methods of comparative law brings to bear new thinking on topics including. This essay joins the discussion on the future of comparative politics from a perspective of methodology, and argues that the challenges concerned in schmitters essay are not endemic to comparative politics but shared ones in other research fields including quantitative methods. Quantitative and qualitative comparative approaches.
Substantively, this can include questions relating to political institutions, political behavior, conflict, and the causes and consequences of economic development. Theory and methods the questions posed above and others that our contributors raise are too complex, and too important, to restrict ourselves to one or another methodology in our attempts to answer them. Comparative method an overview sciencedirect topics. These two kinds of methods should be clearly distinguished. Three main areas of innovation and analytic alternatives have emerged which strengthen the viability of the comparative method. In brief, plumper argues that, until recently, the field of comparative politics cp has been dominated by qualitative methods. These two approaches are called the comparative quantitative and comparative qualitative approaches. Politics of qualitative research sage research methods. The quantitative study of comparative politics is often described as a datadriven enterprise. Comparative analysis of qualitative and quantitative research. This paper is a systematic analysis of the comparative method. All researchers perform these descriptive statistics before beginning any type of data analysis. Oxford handbook of comparative politics edited by carles boix. Four specific ways in which this difficulty may be resolved are.
Quantitative comparative analysis, in edward elgar encyclopedia of global environmental politics and governance, edited by philipp pattberg and fariborz zelli. On one hand, qualitative researchers in this field use a variety of methods of theory development. Pdf in this entry, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of comparative research. Principles of comparative politics pdf ebook download. Frequently, comparative methods are portrayed as a bridge between qualitative, caseoriented research and quantitative, variableoriented research. Comparative politics key concepts taken from the book introducing comparative politics by carol ann drogus.
Principles of comparative politics pdf ebook download free. Comparative politics and the comparative method arend lijphart university of leiden among the several fields or subdisciplines into which the discipline of political science is usually divided, comparative politics is the only one that carries a methodological instead of a substantive label. This seminar offers a broad introduction to the field of comparative methodology. Quantitative empirical methods and the contextconditionality. Comparative politics is also concerned with the norms, basic beliefs and values underlying political activity. Case studies and comparative politics john gerring 4. Many textbooks on comparative politics provide a clear, seemingly simple answer to the question, what is comparative politics. Formerly mit political science department research paper no.
The principal difficulty facing the comparative method is that it must generalize on the basis of relatively few empirical cases. In chapter 3 the relationship between metatheory, methodology and method. Comparative politics and the comparative method american. Quantitative research methods focus on statistical approaches and qualitative methods are based on content analysis, comparative analysis, grounded theory, and interpretation. Theoretical and methodological challenges edward elgar 2015. Now, this thoroughly revised second edition offers students an even. The past and present of comparative politics kellogg institute. International and comparative librarianship, chapter 4 draft 2011 04 20 page 1 chapter 4 methodology in comparative studies concern here is the im comparative research how m policy trade litton 1983. It often encompasses comparisons among countries and through time within single. It is the latter that kalleberg has in mind when he discusses the logic of comparison.
The comparative method is the most important of the various techniques used to recover linguistic history. The groundbreaking first edition of principles of comparative politics offered the most comprehensive and uptodate view of the rich world of comparative inquiry, research, and scholarship. It will further focus on how quantitative and qualitative methods can be applied in a mixed method approach. The main aim of this essay will be to explore and theoretically evaluate the research designs of three classics of comparative politics.
Comparative politics and the synthetic control method by. Qualitative vs quantitative research political science. The discussion about the future of comparative politics is appealing to methodologists also because quantitative methods, as a research field. Therefore, in this essay i will be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative comparative approaches.
Comparative politics and the comparative method arend. Comparative politics and the choice of methods politics. Comparative political systems university of calicut. Qualitative methodology and comparative politics james. Download pdf mixed methods in comparative politics free. Foundations of comparative politics presents a scientific approach to the rich world of comparative inquiry, research, and scholarship, providing you a guide to crossnational comparison and why it matters. Apr 04, 2012 the current apsa comparative politics newsletter is dedicated to doing comparative politics elsewhere i. This article presents some guidance by cataloging nine different techniques for case selection. Indeed, too many students of the field have been what giovanni sartori calls unconscious thinkers unaware of and not guided by the logic and methods of empirical science, although perhaps well versed in quantitative research techniques. Some are highly proficient in quantitative methods, while others use case studies and qualitative methods. A free powerpoint ppt presentation displayed as a flash slide show on id. This chapter examines five main approaches in comparative politics that represent important contributions. Adapted from the groundbreaking bestseller principles of comparative politics, third edition.
An ordinal variable has qualitative categories that are ordered in terms of degree or magnitude. Research design in comparative politics seminar 2nd term. Comparative politics is one of five subfields in political science, along with american politics, political theory, international relations and political economy. In practice the comparative politics do the first, to compare means that similarities and differences are. In the sciences, theory is tested through direct experimentation. Includes formative texts that have had a significant impact on the field of comparative politics. Option number four is the most prevalent one in comparative research. The forms of comparison employed in the discipline of political science vary widely and include those contained in statistical analysis, experimental research, and. Building on the strengths of the second edition, this highly regarded textbook continues to provide the best introduction to the strategies of comparative research. The text draws on academic and applied contributions to political discourse in an effort to show students that political science is a field of inquiry with many practical uses. Pdf qualitative methodology and comparative politics. Oxford handbook of comparative politics edited by carles boix and susan stokes.