W. Phillips Shively - Böcker

The Craft of Political Research is a nontechnical introduction to research design and analysis in political science, emphasizing the choices we make when we design a research project and analyze its results. The book’s approach centers on asking an interesting research question, then designing inquiry to eliminate as many alternative explanations as possible.How do we develop theory, and what constitutes a good research question? How do we operationalize measures and gather evidence to answer a question? How do we analyze our data? Students are introduced to such topics as multidimensional concepts, levels of measurement, validity, reliability, random and non-random measurement error, sampling, case selection, causality, experimental and quasi-experimental design, statistical inference, and regression and correlation analysis. Throughout, the emphasis is on understanding the “back story” of analysis—why do we measure in a particular way, why do we choose one design as against another, why do we conduct our analysis as we do.Emphasizing the internal logic of research methods, the greatest strength of the book is its clarity and the broad range of political science examples provided. It works at a conceptual level, seeking an understanding of the principles that underlie techniques and the reasons why we choose them.New to this edition:New and revised examples from the US, UK, Canada, Latin America, and Africa among others, and updated international data from organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations.Separate chapters on causality and research design, with more discussion of each component of the political science research processNew section on indexes and scales that reviews ways to improve reliability and validity of measures by combining several variablesNew sections reviewing collection of publicly available data including downloadable sources of quantitative dataNew material on internet surveys and other contemporary techniques used in political science research.

The Craft of Political Research is a nontechnical introduction to research design and analysis in political science, emphasizing the choices we make when we design a research project and analyze its results. The book’s approach centers on asking an interesting research question, then designing inquiry to eliminate as many alternative explanations as possible.How do we develop theory, and what constitutes a good research question? How do we operationalize measures and gather evidence to answer a question? How do we analyze our data? Students are introduced to such topics as multidimensional concepts, levels of measurement, validity, reliability, random and non-random measurement error, sampling, case selection, causality, experimental and quasi-experimental design, statistical inference, and regression and correlation analysis. Throughout, the emphasis is on understanding the “back story” of analysis—why do we measure in a particular way, why do we choose one design as against another, why do we conduct our analysis as we do.Emphasizing the internal logic of research methods, the greatest strength of the book is its clarity and the broad range of political science examples provided. It works at a conceptual level, seeking an understanding of the principles that underlie techniques and the reasons why we choose them.New to this edition:New and revised examples from the US, UK, Canada, Latin America, and Africa among others, and updated international data from organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations.Separate chapters on causality and research design, with more discussion of each component of the political science research processNew section on indexes and scales that reviews ways to improve reliability and validity of measures by combining several variablesNew sections reviewing collection of publicly available data including downloadable sources of quantitative dataNew material on internet surveys and other contemporary techniques used in political science research.

The Craft of Political Research is a non-technical introduction to research design and analysis in political science, emphasizing the choices we make when we design a research project and analyze its results. The book’s approach centers on asking an interesting research question, and then designing inquiry into the question so as to eliminate as many alternative explanations as possible.How do we develop theory, and what constitutes a good research question? How do we develop measures and gather evidence to answer a question? How do we analyze our findings? Students will be introduced to such topics as multidimensional concepts, levels of measurement, validity, reliability, random and non-random measurement error, sampling, case selection, causality, experimental and quasi-experimental design, statistical inference, and regression and correlation analysis. Throughout, the emphasis is on understanding the "back story" of analysis — why do we measure in a particular way, why do we choose one design as against another, why do we conduct our analysis as we do.Emphasizing the internal logic of research methods and the collaborative nature of the research process, the greatest strength of the book is its clarity and the large range of political science examples it provides. It works at a conceptual level, seeking an understanding of the principles that underlie techniques and the reasons that we choose them. New to this edition: Updated and international examples from the US, UK, Latin America and China amongst others, and international organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations.New section, "Reading Political Science" reviews sources of published political research, with some broad principles for how to find good sources, and advises students on what to look for in reading a research reportNew section, "Gathering Accurate Information" reviews published sources of data, such as UNESCO, and offers advice about how to use such sources. It advises students on how to gather data in personal interviews and it acquaints them with publicly available data sets for secondary analysis.Online material featuring revised learning objectives for each chapter, and a new section offering projects and questions for each chapter.

A truly comparative introduction to political science that reflects the diversity of approaches to the disciplinePower & Choice offers an in-depth look into the nuances of politics through the analysis of collective choices for a group or state through the use of power. Organized topically and using extended case examples from around the world, Power & Choice provides undergraduate students with a clear and engaging introduction to political science and comparative politics. The 16th Edition has been updated to address the issues raised by the covid-19 pandemic, as well as the impact the Trump and Biden presidencies have had so far upon the world and its democracies, including challenges in states such as Hungary where illiberal democracy and nationalism are on the rise. The authors have also included discussion of the impact of the death of George Floyd upon race relations in America, and how issues such as growing inequality are impacting politics. This edition adds examination of women’s economic development and the rising importance of LGBTQ issues globally.

Power & Choice offers an in-depth look into the nuances of politics through the analysis of collective choices for a group or state through the use of power. Organized topically and using extended case examples from around the world, Power & Choice provides undergraduate students with a clear and engaging introduction to political science and comparative politics.The Seventeen Edition has been updated to address the growing importance of understanding the modern resurgence of fascism, the growth in global populism, the Trump phenomenon in the United States, additional discussion of political violence, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and Western responses to it, the current war in Gaza, the growing global strength of the developing world, global effects of immigration, and further discussion of the discipline of political science.