The Research Topic: Asking Good Questions 8 February, 2008

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How do we know what we know? Common sense Rely on others for experience and expertise Do your own research

How? Myth, superstition, hunches, etc. Science as a way of knowing It offers a strategy that researchers can use when approaching a question Science is really a matter of figuring out relationships between things we know something about

Causal Inference Questions of causality are raised everywhere For example, thousands of people in NY are seeking compensation and treatment for dust exposure from 9/11. Can a causal link be established between dust and disease? Similarly, there are many questions about causality in Politics. Does negative advertising discourage voter turnout? Can economic sanctions encourage North Korea to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons? Has the Invasion of Iraq made the world safer?

Terminology Dependent variable—what you would like to explain. Also referred to as the “outcome variable” Independent variable—Also referred to as “explanatory variable”, “treatment” or “control”

Requirements Establish a relationship between two or more variables. “Covariation” Reveal whether one phenomenon precedes another in time. That the cause preceded the effect. X must come before Y Eliminate as many alternative or “rival” explanations for a phenomenon as possible

Spurious Relationships We may observe a relationship that is a coincidence Arises because two things are both affected by a third factor and thus appear to be related For example, one might observe that there is a relationship between the presence of storks and birth rates and then infer that storks are responsible for high birth rates. The fact that storks and higher birth rates are found in rural areas is an indicator of a spurious relationship

Research Design In social science, causality is very difficult if not impossible to establish The reason is that it is very difficult to rule out rival hypotheses. A good research design will work to that end.

Things to keep in mind Begin with a research question about a causal mechanism that is grounded in theory Be explicit about your approach Be aware of rival explanations (or hypotheses) Make observations Draw conclusions and be careful when making causal inferences

Selecting a Dissertation Topic It’s crucial to start with the right topic or question Don’t be too broad - e.g. ‘Turkish Accession to the European Union’ But start with a reasonably broad topic that you are interested in - read and research this area with a view of deciding upon a specific question / problematic

Envisaging your dissertation What is your dissertation about? What contribution do you aim to achieve? empirical theoretical methodological philosophical What will be new or original about your work? What will your personal contribution be? THINK ABOUT THESE ISSUES BEFORE BECOMING ‘LOCKED INTO’ YOUR RESEARCH

Choosing the Research Topic What is the question? How does it relate to theory? What is the causal relationship? How is one able to drawing inferences concerning causal relations? How can we know whether X causes Y?

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