Research Proposal Outline a) Presentation and justification of a research question of your choice (Introduction). b) A thorough literature review of studies relevant to your research question. c) A presentation of a theory to answer your research question and a corresponding set of hypotheses about the causal relationships among a set of concepts identified in your theory. d) A discussion of the indicators used to measure the concepts in the hypotheses, and a defense of the appropriateness of the indicators as measures of the theoretical concepts. (In some cases it may make more sense to address this issue after section (e) e) A presentation of a specific research design to be implemented, including a detailed discussion of the data and the specific type of research design employed (be specific and use the language from your textbook). Be sure to justify all of your choices in this section.
Research Proposal Outline a) Presentation and justification of a research question of your choice (Introduction). b) A thorough literature review of studies.
Dec 23, 2015
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Research Proposal Outline
a) Presentation and justification of a research question of your choice (Introduction).
b) A thorough literature review of studies relevant to your research question.
c) A presentation of a theory to answer your research question and a corresponding set of hypotheses about the causal relationships among a set of concepts identified in your theory.
d) A discussion of the indicators used to measure the concepts in the hypotheses, and a defense of the appropriateness of the indicators as measures of the theoretical concepts. (In some cases it may make more sense to address this issue after section (e)
e) A presentation of a specific research design to be implemented, including a detailed discussion of the data and the specific type of research design employed (be specific and use the language from your textbook). Be sure to justify all of your choices in this section.
f) A thorough assessment of the limitations of your study as described (especially threats to internal and external validity).
Assignment 8
2. Canache, Mondak and Seligson identify several measurement problems with the concept of "satisfaction with democracy." Summarize these problems, paying particular attention to the problem of cross-national equivalence (the extent to which the same survey item is interpreted in an equivalent fashion across nations or cultures). Based on your intuition, offer one other example of a concept for which cross-national equivalence might pose a similar challenge. Defend your choice.
“Equlivalence” in Cross-National ResearchWhat is equivalence?
“Satisfaction with Democracy” Canache, Mondak and Seligson“On the whole, are you very satisfied, fairly
satisfied, not very satisfied, or not at all satisfied with the way democracy works in [country]?”
“Satisfaction with Democracy”Canache, Mondak and Seligson
“Satisfaction with Democracy”Canache, Mondak and Seligson
Qualitative Methods in Social Science Research
Frankfort-Nachmias & Nachmias (Chapter 9 – Observational Methods; Chapter 12 – Qualitative Research) Gerring, (Chapters 9-10) King, Keohane and Verba (Chapter 6) James Mahoney. 2010. “After KKV: The New Methodology of Qualitative Research.” World Politics Volume 62, Number 1, pp. 120-147. Dvora Yanow. 2003. “Interpretive Political Science: What Makes This Not a Subfield of Qualitative Methods.” Qualitative Methods Section (APSA) Newsletter, 2nd Issue, Fall 2003. Applications
David J. Harding, Cybelle Fox, and Jal D. Mehta. 2002. “Studying Rare Events through Qualitative Case Studies: Lessons From a Study of Rampage School Shootings.” Sociological Methods & Research. 31(2): 174-217. Janet Gilboy. 1992. “Penetrability of Administrative Systems: Political ‘Casework’ and Immigration Inspections.” Law & Society Review. 26: 273-314.
The Perestroika MovementWhat is/was it all about?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perestroika_Movement_(political_science)
http://heotic.blogspot.com/2007/07/mr-perestroika.html
The Perestroika Movement John J. Mearsheimer, Professor of international relations at
the University of Chicago:
"I've felt since the late 1980s that the discipline was in trouble." There is a "hegemonic threat out there" from rational-choice scholars, who draw conclusions about political behavior from game theory and empirical data, and "large-N" people, a reference to the large samples necessary for statistical modeling.
"This is about the mathematicization of political science," he said. "I'm in favor of filling the zoo with all kinds of animals. But I'm concerned about them running us out of the business or making us marginal."
The Perestroika MovementSusanne Hoeber Rudolph: “People who do rational choice select
problems because they are susceptible to quantitative measurement.”
“A wish to have precise answers drives you to narrow methodology," she added. "A wish to have broader answers drives you to multiple methodologies.”
What is Qualitative Research?Research that relies on non-numeric “data”
Descriptive or causal inferencesA variety of methods/data sources
Types of Qualitative Research“Field Research” – observation of people in
their natural settingUnstructured interviewing“Interpretive” Research“Ethnographic” Research
Small N / Case Study ResearchSmall NComparative Case StudyCase Study
“Data”: written documents (e.g. letters, diaries, speeches, party platforms, newspapers, television)
Why do Qualitative Research?
Why do Qualitative Research?Inherent data limitations
Small NLack of systematic (numeric) data
Richard Tewksbury and the Study of Sexual Deviance
Why do Qualitative Research?Inherent data limitations
Small NLack of systematic (numeric) data
Triangulationinternal vs. external validityCausal mechanism
Epistemology
What is the Epistemology of Qualitative Research?Many qualitative researchers accept
positivismOften true of “small N” qualitative researchLogic of inference is similar to large
N/quantitative researchAdapted to limitations of small N (Gerring; KKV)
What is the Epistemology of Qualitative Research?Many qualitative researchers reject
positivism “Verstehen” - understanding the meaning of
action from the actor's point of viewInterpretive/ethnographic research
Interpretive Research: A Definition (Orlikowski and Baroudi 1991)
‘Interpretive studies assume that people create and associate their own subjective and intersubjective meanings as they interact with the world around them. Interpretive researchers thus attempt to understand phenomena through accessing the meanings participants assign to them’
Geoff Walsham - Lecture 1 of Course on Interpretive Research in IS - Oslo University
Interpretive Research: A Definition (Walsham 1993)
‘Interpretive methods of research start from the position that our knowledge of reality, including the domain of human action, is a social construction by human actors and that this applies equally to researchers. Thus there is no objective reality which can be discovered by researchers and replicated by others, in contrast to the assumptions of positivist science’
Geoff Walsham - Lecture 1 of Course on Interpretive Research in IS - Oslo University
Interpretive View of Data(Geertz 1973)
‘What we call our data are really our own constructions of other people’s constructions of what they and their compatriots are up to’
Geoff Walsham - Lecture 1 of Course on Interpretive Research in IS - Oslo University
Ethnographic Researcha form of research focusing on the sociology of
meaning through close field (participant) observation of sociocultural phenomena
Typically, the ethnographer focuses on a community (not necessarily geographic, considering also work, leisure, and other communities), selecting informants who are known to have an overview of the activities of the community
Common in anthropology, sociology
Interpretive Methods and Grounded Theory
PurposeTo generate theory
Strategy theory needs to be grounded or rooted in
observationtheory emerges as a result of empirical
analysis
Field Methods for Interpretive Research
Complete ParticipantResearcher’s identity / objectives are
concealedResearcher completely immersed in
everyday life of group being studiedAdvantages?Disadvantages?
Field Methods for Interpretive Research
Participant as ObserverResearcher’s identity /objectives are made
knownResearcher takes a more detached
perspectiveMembership / participation in group may still
be important part of researchAdvantages?Disadvantages?
Dobratz and Shanks-MeileResearch question: What motivates people
to participate in “white separatist” groups?
Dobratz and Shanks-MeileAttended meetings (both public and
private) of various white separatist groups over a period of two years
Observed/recorded all behavior that seemed important
Group members were aware of their identity and intentions
Researchers developed a theory of white separatist group formation/activity based on experiences/interviews with group members
Dobratz and Shanks-MeileConclusion – White “separatists” largely
motivated by economic displacement, and not driven by racial hatred/prejudice.
Did Dobratz and Shanks-Meile “go native”?
Janet Gilboy (Studying immigration inspections) “Because so little was known about the setting - the last
empirical study examined steamship travelers at Ellis Island 50 years ago (Van Vleck 1932) - I used extensive observations and informal rather than structured interviews. These methods allowed inspectors to describe work from their perspective and permitted important issues in the setting to come to the fore, including the subject of this article. Although I did not set out to focus on political casework as a factor shaping port decisions, its relevance became apparent from inspectors' comments, as did the sensitivity of the subject.” (p. 281)
“Data” Collection and Field ResearchObservational dataWritten documentsUnstructured Interviewing
initial guiding questions or core concepts no formal structured instrument or protocol
Working with Qualitative “Data”http://www.qsrinternational.com/
products_nvivo.aspx
Using Qualitative Research to Conduct “Scientific” ResearchStand-alone (logic of case selection, causal
inference and case study design)KKVGerringHarding, Fox, Mehta
As a supplement to quantitative research TriangulationLooking inside the “black box”
Case Study MethodsSingle-case studies (single observation)
Weakest due to lack of ability to establish covariation
Disagreement over utility“crucial case” studies
Least-likely and most-likely designs (Eckstein, in KKV)
Case Study MethodsComparative-case studies (or longitudinal)
Stronger due to ability to establish covariation
Importance of unit homogeneity“random assignment”
Causal Inference in Case Study DesignsGerring and McDermott – applying an
“experimental template”
Gerring, John, and Rose McDermott. 2007. An experimental template for case-study research. American Journal of Political Science 51(3): 688-701.
Gerring and McDermott (2007)Causal logic based on examination of
covariation (like quantitative studies)Hierarchy of designs
Dynamic comparison (strongest)Counterfactual comparison (weakest)
Communication – to noncase study audience
Other Strategies for Causal Inference in Case Study ResearchMill’s method of agreement (“most
different” method)
Other Strategies for Causal Inference in Case Study ResearchMill’s method of agreement (“most
different” method)cases limited to positive cases (constant Y)causal factors identified by similar values of
Xeliminated by divergent values of X
useful to establish necessary conditions tells us little about possible sufficient conditions
Other Strategies for Causal Inference in Case Study ResearchMill’s method of difference (“most similar”
design)
Other Strategies for Causal Inference in Case Study ResearchMill’s method of difference (“most similar”
design)cases chosen with different values of Ycases matched on many X’sHypotheses about X’s of interest tested by
comparing values of X across casesuseful to establish sufficient conditionsPossible extension using ordinal data
(“ordinal comparison”) to test hypotheses about X
Other Strategies for Causal Inference in Case Study ResearchWithin-case analysis (Harding, et al)
Pattern matching: determine if all of various implications of theory are present within case
Process tracing: “thick description of sequence of events to identify causal mechanisms at work”
Small N and Qualitative Research
The Small N problem (KKV)Alternative explanationsMeasurement errorDeterminism
Solving the Small N problemSame measures, new units (increase variation)Same units, new measures (a la pattern matching)New measures, new units
Relative Advantages of Qualitative Research
Relative Advantages of Qualitative Research
Provides researcher with depth of understanding
Establishes theoretical plausibility Generation of new theories/hypothesesMore appropriate for complex phenomena
(with complex causal structures)May be the only strategy possible
Relative Disadvantages of Qualitative Research
Relative Disadvantages of Qualitative Research
Small N – lack of generalizabilitySmall N – difficult to control for alternative
explanationsSmall N – selection biasLess objectivity (?)Difficult to replicate
Discussion Questions Describe how/why qualitative methods
were valuable to study the research questions addressed in the article.
What are the main weaknesses of the research, in your view?
Discuss how the research question might be tested using a quantitative/large-N design? Would this be preferable? Why or why not?
Lessons Learned from Another Example of Field
Research: Studying Welfare Implementation Lesson 1: Field research can shed light on
new causal factors
Research Question: How/Why do welfare case managers sanction welfare clients? Prior to entering the field:
Case managers have nearly unlimited discretion Important factors: race/ethnicity, local culture
After entering the field: Importance of performance measurement Limits on case manager discretion
Lessons Learned from Another Example of Field
Research: Studying Welfare Implementation Lesson 2: Case selection is important and decisions
should be based on purpose of research.
Our Purpose: To understand discretion in sanction implementation, and the influence of race/ethnicity on the use of that discretion.
Case: Florida – an “extreme case” Second-order devolution Privatization Racial/ethnic diversity Sanction rate
Lessons Learned from Another Example of Field
Research: Studying Welfare Implementation Lesson 3: Site selection is often out of your
control. This can have consequences.
Our goal: To interview case managers and administrators at a variety of sites that reflect variation in local culture, local service providers, etc.
Ultimate site selection: determined by state officials
Lessons Learned from Another Example of Field
Research: Studying Welfare Implementation Lesson 4: Field research is impossible
without the cooperation of your subjects. To get access, the researcher must rely on the good will of gatekeepers, or their self-interest.
In Fla – importance of federal grant; incorporation of state objectives into our research agenda
Lessons Learned from Another Example of Field
Research: Studying Welfare Implementation Lesson 5: Field research can often
present ethical dilemmas.
Fla – We were very conflicted about revealing our interest in race.
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