scholarly journals 4. Case selection, research design & methodology

2021 ◽  
pp. 87-116
Author(s):  
Bernd Hirschberger
Keyword(s):  
Research Design ◽  
Case Selection ◽  
Selection Research

scholarly journals Paired Comparison and Theory Development: Considerations for Case Selection

2014 ◽  
Vol 47 (02) ◽  
pp. 477-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel M. Gisselquist
Keyword(s):  
Research Design ◽  
Paired Comparison ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Paired Comparisons ◽  
Case Selection ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Selection For

ABSTRACTDespite the widespread use of paired comparisons, we lack clear guidance about how to use this research strategy in practice, particularly in case selection. The literature tends to assume that cases are systematically selected from a known population, a major assumption for many topics of interest to political scientists. This article speaks to this gap. It describes three distinct logics of paired comparison relevant to theory development, presents a simple way of considering and comparing them, and explores how this approach can inform more intentional research design, with particular attention to low information settings where substantial research is needed to ascertain the values of independent or dependent variables. The discussion underscores inter alia the need to be aware and explicit about the implications of case selection for the ability to test and build theory, and the need to reconsider the well-cited “rule” of not selecting on the dependent variable.

3. Comparative research methods

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Keman ◽  
Paul Pennings
Keyword(s):  
Research Methods ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Research Question ◽  
The Core ◽  
Case Selection ◽  
Comparative Inquiry ◽  
Adequate Research

This chapter examines the ‘art of comparing’ by showing how to relate a theoretically guided research question to a properly founded research answer by developing an adequate research design. It first considers the role of variables in comparative research before discussing the meaning of ‘cases’ and case selection. It then looks at the ‘core’ of the comparative research method: the use of the logic of comparative inquiry to analyse the relationships between variables (representing theory) and the information contained in the cases (the data). Two logics are distinguished: Method of Difference and Method of Agreement. The chapter concludes with an assessment of some problems common to the use of comparative methods.

Democratic Norms Remain Stronger than Ethnic Ties: Defending “Foreign Interventions and Secessionist Movements”

2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 749-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Bélanger ◽  
Érick Duchesne ◽  
Jonathan Paquin
Keyword(s):  
Research Design ◽  
State Intervention ◽  
Problematic Case ◽  
Case Selection ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Alternative Research ◽  
Democratic Norms

Abstract.This article is a response to Stephen Saideman's criticism of our research findings on third state intervention in secessionist crises, which was published in this journal in 2005. Here we defend our methodology and the validity of our results. We also explain why, in our view, Saideman's criticisms and the alternative research design that he offers are seriously questionable. More specifically, our reply focuses on his problematic case selection and on his measurement of ethnic ties, which is methodologically inconsistent and biased.Résumé.Cet article constitue une réponse à la critique de Stephen Saideman concernant nos résultats de recherche, paru dans cette revue en 2005, sur les interventions des États tiers dans les crises sécessionnistes. Nous défendons ici notre méthode et la validité de nos résultats. Nous expliquons aussi pourquoi, selon nous, il est possible de remettre en question les critiques et le devis de recherche de Saideman. Plus précisément, notre réponse se concentre sur sa sélection de cas douteuse et sa mesure des liens ethniques, puisque nous jugeons celle-ci méthodologiquement incorrecte et biaisée.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Catherine Gegout
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Military Intervention ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Case Selection ◽  
The People ◽  
African Context ◽  
Selection Of

Why do France, the United Kingdom and the European Union intervene militarily in some African conflicts? Is it because European leaders feel responsible for the people who face conflicts in Africa? Do they always have several interests and values at stake when they decide to intervene? The first sections on ‘theorizing European military intervention’ and ‘security, prestige and the weight of neo-colonialism’ give an overview of the major theoretical and empirical contributions of the book. The following section shows how the book offers a new light on intervention, and how it rejects Eurocentrism. There is then a discussion of the research design, methodology and case selection of the present study, and an explanation of the importance given to history. The last section discusses the larger African context in which European military intervention takes place.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Corrales
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Relative Strength ◽  
Constitutional Change ◽  
Checks And Balances ◽  
Case Selection ◽  
Power Asymmetries

This chapter introduces the book’s two central puzzles: what explains Latin America’s obsession with fixing democracy via constituent assemblies, and what explains variations in outcomes of constituent assemblies? It introduces the key argument: power asymmetries between Incumbents and Opposition forces—in the form of variations in the relative strength of the Incumbent vis-à-vis the Opposition, more so than other factors such as economics, ideology, or partisanship—lead to constitutions that offer weaker checks and balances. Power asymmetries, the book argues, influence to some extent the incidence of constitutional change and to a large extent the content of resulting constitutions. The book illustrates these points by examining twenty-four constitutional moments in Latin America since the 1980s, including eleven drafted new constitutions and thirteen aborted constituent assemblies. Finally, this chapter offers a justification for the book’s case selection and explains the research design pursued therein.

6 Case Selection and Research Design in Comparative Constitutional Studies

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirschl Ran
Keyword(s):  
Research Design ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Science Methods ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Case Selection ◽  
Large N ◽  
Multi Method Approach ◽  
Comparative Inquiry ◽  
Method Approach

Comparative constitutional law’s methodological matrix is fuzzy and amorphous. A close look at social science methods suggests a toolkit of considerations to be addressed in conducting comparative constitutional inquiry, thus supporting various types of comparative constitutional studies. The meanings, purposes, and modes of comparative inquiry in contemporary comparative constitutional studies are identified; some basic principles of case selection and research design employed in inference-oriented small-N studies are presented; and the emerging world of multivariate, large-N studies is explored. It is argued that no research method enjoys an a priori advantage over another without taking into account the scope and nature of the studied phenomenon or the question the research purports to address. Thus, attempts to outline an “official” comparative method are not only unrealistic but also unwise. Comparative constitutionalists should settle instead on a set of several more sensible guiding principles, common rules of casuality, and a multi-method approach.

scholarly journals Qualitative methods, is there something new to learn for Czech geography?

Geografie ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Kofroň
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Research ◽  
Case Selection

This article aims to provide the first geographical account on case studies as a tool of nomothetic science in the Czech context. The first aim is to convince the reader that case studies can and should be used for nomothetic research. However, only those who subscribe under label of neopositivism or scientific (critical) realism will benefit from the outlined approach to case studies. Simply put, methodology tends to reflect our often unconscious epistemological positions. Second aim is to present several techniques of case selection which can help to generate and test theories. It is important to note, that the best research design rests on combination of quantitative and qualitative research, however, mastering of both techniques is a necessary precondition for such fruitful marriage of methods.

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