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Comparative Politics & Comparative Method - Coggle Diagram
Comparative Politics & Comparative Method
Why comparison?
Description/classification/typologies
Hypothesis testing
Knowledge about other countries
Prediction
Why concepts?
Concepts:
ideas or terms with clear definitional structure
give meaning to reality
sets us apart from practical/beer politics
Comparative methods
comparative/qualitative method
: systematic analysis of a small number of cases (small-N analysis).
most similar system
: research design based on using cases that are as similar as possible, in effect controlling for the similarities and isolating the causes of differences
most different system:
research design based on using cases that are as different as possible, in effect controlling for the differences and isolating the causes of similarities.
statistical/quantitative method:
research method using more cases, more variables, and attempting to explain political phenomena using statistical analysis
case study method:
intensive examination of one particular case and the context in which it exists
deviant case study
identifies and examines an exception to what is generally expected from an established theory (to help build new theories)
theory-testing case study
probing a theory in a new empirical context to which it was supposed to apply
historical method:
research method based on studying cases from the past, often with a focus on their development through time
Critical juncture:
A turning point which establishes interests, structures, or institutions persisting through time
Sequencing:
The idea that the order of events, not merely their occurrence, affects the outcome
Path dependence:
the idea that the outcome of a political process depends on earlier decisions that lead down a particular path
slow-moving cause:
An influence which changes slowly but, over a long period, dramatically
Process tracing:
the study of the sequence of events linking a cause to an effect
Issues comparative politics
very different units of analysis
no ONE comparative method
Challenges of Comparison
Selection bias:
Arises when selected cases and variables are unrepresentative of the wider class from which they are drawn
Generalizable:
able to be accurately applied or extended to situations or circumstances other than those originally studied
types of biases
Value bias:
allowing assessments, the choice of facts, and conclusions to be impacted by the values of the researcher
Confirmation bias:
the tendency to seek out or interpret information that confirms pre-existing beliefs and attitudes, and to ignore information that does not
Survivorship bias:
form of selection bias that crops up when we study only surviving examples of political types, overlooking past examples
Understanding meaning:
The 'same' phenomenon can mean different things in different countries, creating difficulties in comparing like with like
Too few cases, too many variables:
The problem of having more explanatory factors for a given outcome than there are cases available to study
Counterfactual:
A thought experiment speculating on possible outcomes if a particular factor had been absent from a process, or an absent factor had been present
Globalization:
States cannot be regarded as entirely independent of each other, thus reducing the effective number of cases available for testing theories
The process by which the links between people, corporations, and governments in different states become integrated through trade, investment, and technology