Recent trends and developments in quantitative methods show that quantitative and qualitative methods are. Borrowing the expression from sidney tarrow, the synthetic. Members of the departments comparative politics faculty are widely recognized as national and international leaders, and the departments strengths have grown in recent years. Theoretical and methodological challenges edward elgar 2015. Pdf in this entry, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of 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. Politics of qualitative research the sage encyclopedia of qualitative research methods search form. Comparative politics and the synthetic control method by. These two kinds of methods should be clearly distinguished.
The quantitative study of comparative politics is often described as a datadriven enterprise. The main aim of this essay will be to explore and theoretically evaluate the research designs of three classics of comparative politics. The comparative method is the most important of the various techniques used to recover linguistic history. Quantitative empirical methods and the contextconditionality. Comparative method an overview sciencedirect topics. Pdf comparative politics and the comparative method. Application of political science theories to the health care sector. 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.
Designing research with qualitative comparative analysis. Assessing quantitative macro comparative welfare state research with qualitative criteria. 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. Therefore, in this essay i will be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative comparative approaches. This seminar offers a broad introduction to the field of comparative methodology. But comparative research is not merely a bridge, for it has many distinctive features and strengths. Comparative politics and the comparative method american. What is the comparative method of political analysis. Descriptive statistics are performed by analyzing one variable at a time univariate analysis. Quantitative and qualitative comparative approaches. In the literature of comparative politics, a wide variety of meanings is attached to the terms comparison and comparative method. Comparative politics, chapter 1 flashcards quizlet. Pdf data usage in quantitative comparative politics. After explaining the use of theory in comparative political analysis, the chapter considers.
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. Quantitative research methods focus on statistical approaches and qualitative methods are based on content analysis, comparative analysis, grounded theory, and interpretation. It is the latter that kalleberg has in mind when he discusses the logic of comparison. Principles of comparative politics pdf ebook download. Oxford handbook of comparative politics edited by carles boix. Oxford handbook of comparative politics edited by carles boix and susan stokes table of contents introduction c. Macrosocial processes in the study of comparative politics.
Click download or read online button to mixed methods in comparative politics book pdf for free now. Case studies and comparative politics john gerring 4. 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. Integrating theories, methods, and cases unlimited. The discussion about the future of comparative politics is appealing to methodologists also because quantitative methods, as a research field. It often encompasses comparisons among countries and through time within single. Pdf data usage in quantitative comparative politics c. 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.
Qualitative methodology and comparative politics james. Comparative politics key concepts taken from the book introducing comparative politics by carol ann drogus. On one hand, qualitative researchers in this field use a variety of methods of theory development. Quantitative methods are essentially a variety of research techniques that are used to gather quantitative data.
Introduction to quantitative methods harvard law school. Comparative politics is also concerned with the norms, basic beliefs and values underlying political activity. Comparative politics and the synthetic control method. It also indicates that if the researcher is starting from a quantitative database, then methods for finding influential outliers can be used. 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. The synthetic control method provides a systematic way to choose comparison units in comparative case studies. Nielsen department of political science, massachusetts institute of technology, 77. 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.
Download pdf mixed methods in comparative politics free. Quantitative empirical methods and the contextconditionality of classic and modern comparative politics robert j. The comparative method is defined and analyzed in terms of its similarities and differences visavis the experimental and statistical methods. Comparative research is persistent problems and promising. Pdf leading methods for pursuing qualitative research in the field of comparative politics are discussed. Substantively, this can include questions relating to political institutions, political behavior, conflict, and the causes and consequences of economic development. Potentials and limitations of comparative method in social. 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. Substantively, this can include questions relating to political institutions, political behavior, conflict, and the causes and consequences of. Research design in comparative politics seminar 2nd term. Jun 29, 2012 methods of comparative law brings to bear new thinking on topics including. This paper is a systematic analysis of the comparative method. These two approaches are called the comparative quantitative and comparative qualitative approaches. Evaluating research methods of comparative politics.
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. 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. An ordinal variable has qualitative categories that are ordered in terms of degree or magnitude. In the sciences, theory is tested through direct experimentation. Mixed methods in comparative politics download mixed methods in comparative politics ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. Quantitative comparative analysis, in edward elgar encyclopedia of global environmental politics and governance, edited by philipp pattberg and fariborz zelli.
Moving beyond qualitative and quantitative strategies. Pdf area studies, comparative politics, and the role of. Computerassisted text analysis for comparative politics christopher lucas department of government and institute for quantitative social science, harvard university, 1737 cambridge st. All of these variables have qualitative categories that cannot be or dered in terms of magnitude or degree. Adapted from the groundbreaking bestseller principles of comparative politics, third edition. Includes formative texts that have had a significant impact on the field of comparative politics. It will further focus on how quantitative and qualitative methods can be applied in a mixed method approach. In chapter 3 the relationship between metatheory, methodology and method. 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. Apr 04, 2012 the current apsa comparative politics newsletter is dedicated to doing comparative politics elsewhere i. In politics, however, social scientists cannot simply manipulate an institution or law to see what might happen.
On one hand, qualitative researchers in this field use a variety of methods of theory. Building on the strengths of the first edition, this accessible and userfriendly textbook explores the strategies of comparative research in political science. Some are highly proficient in quantitative methods, while others use case studies and qualitative methods. By embracing aspects of both qualitative and quantitative methods, comparative methods can circumvent some of the limitations of both approaches. Comparative politics concentration required courses.
Comparative research methods frank esser university of zurich, switzerland rens vliegenthart university of amsterdam, the netherlands introduction. In brief, plumper argues that, until recently, the field of comparative politics cp has been dominated by qualitative methods. Qualitative vs quantitative research political science. Research in social sciences largely depends on measurements and analysis and interpretation of numerical as well as non numerical data. Comparisons of different political contexts are thus central to political theory. Leading methods for pursuing qualitative research in the field of comparative politics are discussed. Comparative politics uc berkeley political science.
Quantitative comparative analysis department of political. Frequently, comparative methods are portrayed as a bridge between qualitative, caseoriented research and quantitative, variableoriented research. Comparative politics and the choice of methods politics. Comparative politics provides a comprehensive, theoretical, and methodological introduction to the field of comparative politics. The field of comparative politics involves the systematic and comparative study of nations and their political systems. 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. 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. 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.
The comparative method political science, uc berkeley. 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. The past and present of comparative politics kellogg institute. In practice the comparative politics do the first, to compare means that similarities and differences are. Politics of qualitative research sage research methods. 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. Comparative political systems university of calicut. Many textbooks on comparative politics provide a clear, seemingly simple answer to the question, what is comparative politics. May 09, 20 evaluating the research methods of three modern classics of comparative politics.
Principles of comparative politics pdf ebook download free. Three main areas of innovation and analytic alternatives have emerged which strengthen the viability of the comparative method. 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. Addresses what was the historical core of comparative politics as it emerged and established itself as a field within the discipline of political science. Comparative politics is one of five subfields in political science, along with american politics, political theory, international relations and political economy. Comparative politics is key area in political science, pigeonholed by an empirical approach based on the comparative method. 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.
Now, this thoroughly revised second edition offers students an even. Potentials and limitations of comparative method in social science reza azarian stockholm university sweden email. Option number four is the most prevalent one in comparative research. 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. 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. Computerassisted text analysis for comparative politics. The caseoriented tradition is much older and is populated largely by area and country experts. 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. This systematization opens the door to precise quantitative inference in small. Modern approaches to comparative politics, nature of. This chapter examines five main approaches in comparative politics that represent important contributions.
Comparative analysis of qualitative and quantitative research. 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. To put it in another way, comparative politics is the study of the domestic politics, political institutions, and conflicts of countries. Thomas plumper contributes a discussion on comparative politics in europe. 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. Building on the strengths of the second edition, this highly regarded textbook continues to provide the best introduction to the strategies of comparative research. Four specific ways in which this difficulty may be resolved are. In order to clarify this point of view, we shall first discuss some of the existing. Qualitative research is designed to explore the human elements of a given topic, while specific qualitative methods examine how individuals see and experienc. A free powerpoint ppt presentation displayed as a flash slide show on id. There are two major methods that researchers can apply when they conduct comparative research. 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. Pdf qualitative methodology and comparative politics.
Oct 28, 2011 abadie, alberto and diamond, alexis j. Comparative politics and the comparative method arend. All researchers perform these descriptive statistics before beginning any type of data analysis. Data usage in quantitative comparative politics andreas. The forms of comparison employed in the discipline of political science vary widely and include those contained in statistical analysis, experimental research, and. Oxford handbook of comparative politics edited by carles boix and susan stokes.