Core Issues in Comparative Politics (PO233) Module Director: Dr. Renske Doorenspleet Associate Professor in Comparative Politics director Centre for Studies in Democratization Department of Politics and International Studies University of Warwick, UK www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/staff/doorenspleet/ www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/research/csd/

Content Lecture week 2 A.Why Compare? B.What is Comparative Methodology? C.How to Compare? D.Contents of seminar week 3 E.Information lecture week 3

Ad A. Why Compare? Attention since the 1970s (Przeworski and Teune 1970; Lijphart 1971) With a real rise of interest in more recent years (Munck 1998) Consortium on Qualitative Research Methods (CQRM), since 2001 Qualitative Methodology Section of APSA, since 2003

Ad A. Why Compare? We compare all the time, everything, everywhere We are all born as comparative researchers Comparative research aims to: collect information and to detect differences between countries and to explain differences and similarities (See Hague and Harrop (2007) and Landman (2008))

Ad B. What is Comparative Methodology? Three different traditions : (1) Study of single countries (2)Methodological tradition (week 2) (3)Analytical tradition (see van Biezen and Caramani 2006)

Methodology is the general way of thinking of methods, principles and criteria of scientific research Methodology, in the technical sense, concerns particular methods and techniques Methodology in the more fundamental meaning is a general exploration of how scientific knowledge can be developed and obtained Methodology is the way (‘how’ so not ‘what’) research can be carried out Ad B. What is Comparative Methodology?

The comparative method is one of the four fundamental methods which can be used to test the validity of general empirical propositions (Lijphart 1971: 682) Focus on the cases instead of variables alone (Ragin 1987) It usually involves small-N research (= only a few cases)

Ad B. What is Comparative Methodology?

Trade-off between the level of abstraction and the scope of countries (see Figure 1; see also Sartori 1970; Mair 1996; Landman 2008). 3 types: MSS design, MSD design, case studies Debate: are case studies part of comparative methodology? (Lijphart 1971 versus practice/academic output/ textbooks) Ad B. What is Comparative Methodology?

Ad C. How to Compare? Most Similar Systems (MSS) design/ Mill’s Methods for Small N Analysis (1) The Method of Difference –If, within the systems we are comparing, there is an occurrence and a non-occurrence of the phenomenon, and the circumstances in which these are observed are the same in all factors save one, then that one is the cause of the occurrence Graphically

Ad C. How to Compare?

Most Different Systems (MSD) Design/ Mill’s Methods for Small N Analysis (2) The Method of Agreement: –If, within the systems we are comparing, the phenomenon we are interested in explaining have only one of several possible causal circumstances in common, then the circumstance in which all the instances agree is the cause of the phenomenon. Graphically:

Ad C. How to Compare?

Types of Case Studies (1) Representative (2)Deviant (3)Crucial (4)And others… (see Hague and Harrop 2007) Ad C. How to Compare?

Ad D. Contents of seminar week 3 Homework seminar week 3: A)1. Design a Research Question in Groups 2. Choose a Specific Methodology 3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of your methodology? 4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the alternative methodologies? 5. Discussion of Findings (> 2 hours) WRITE YOUR FINDINGS DOWN! B) read the required literature of week 2 C) collect interesting statements on the basis of the required literature of week 2 (> 1 hour!) WRITE YOUR STATEMENTS DOWN!

Ad E. Information lecture week 3 Three different traditions (see van Biezen and Caramani 2006): (1) Study of single countries (week 3 and rest of module) (2)Methodological tradition (week 2) (3)Analytical tradition (week 3 and rest of module) (see van Biezen and Caramani 2006)