Download module guide 2010/11 - University of Warwick

University of Warwick
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
INTRODUCTION TO
RESEARCH METHODS
PO 102
MODULE GUIDE 2010/11
MODULE DIRECTOR
Dr Justin Greaves
Room B1.25 (Social Studies)
E.mail: [email protected]
Office hours: TBA
Tel: 02476 575879
Module website:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/currentstudents/moduledocs/firstyear/po1
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1
Contents
Page
Introduction
3
Aims and learning objectives
4
How this module is organised
5
Assessed essays and project report
6
Module requirements
8
Reading and researching
9
Seminar discussion topics and reading lists
11
2
Introduction
Research Methods in Political Science is an introductory module to the research process in
Political Science. It is a core module for all first-year students taking Politics, and Politics
with International Studies. The module is structured around the following topics:
•
the nature of the discipline of Political Science
•
social surveys and election studies
•
the research process and research design
•
the role of theory in the research process
•
elite interviewing
•
documents and archives
•
participant observation
•
ethical problems in social research
•
an introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics
•
the use of the internet in political research
•
interdisciplinarity and political science
•
researching pressure groups
Lecturer/tutor availability
You are encouraged to consult your lecturer/seminar tutor about any questions or
problems you may have. If you are unable to come in office hours, please make an
appointment by email. The lecturer/tutor is as follows:
•
Dr. Justin Greaves, Module Director, Lecturer and Seminar Tutor, Room B.1.25,
Social Studies
Office hours: TBA
email: [email protected] Tel: 75879
Organisation of the lectures and seminars
The module is taught through one weekly lecture and one weekly seminar. The lectures
take place on Wednesdays at 9.00-10.00 am in room MS 0.3. The lectures provide an
introduction and overview of the topic under discussion and the seminars explore the
arguments in more detail and with reference to key texts in Political Science. Seminar
groups and times are arranged in Week I and posted on the first-year noticeboard and the
module website.
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Aims and learning objectives
Aims
The module will:

Offer an introduction to the development of Political Science
as a discipline and explain the defining characteristics of an
academic discipline.

Introduce the principal qualitative research methods and
techniques used in Political Science and their advantages and
limitations.

Offer an introduction to the use of quantitative methods in
political research and their role as a complement to
qualitative methods

Identify some of the main ethical problems that arise in
Political Science and international relations research.

Analyse how effectively different research methods have
been used in major academic publications in Political
Science.
Learning objectives

To appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of the principal
research methods used in the study of Politics.

Be familiar with the process of research design and the
major stages that are involved in designing a research
proposal.

To acquire a basic understanding of how quantitative
approaches may be deployed in the study of politics and
international relations.

To understand the ethical dilemmas that arise in the research
process and strategies available for resolving them.

To develop presentation skills as a result of the requirement
for prepared work to be presented in seminars to stimulate
group discussion.

To acquire enhanced capability to use the Internet for
information gathering purposes
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How this module is organised
Weekly lectures provide a general overview of the subject matter of the module. In
addition, in terms of the essays on declining turnout in British elections and project reports
on the effectiveness of pressure groups, they provide an in-depth analysis of some of the
key issues arising in relation to each topic.
Weekly seminars provide an opportunity for detailed discussion of the lecture topics and
later in this module booklet, along with the individual reading lists for each topic, we also
provide a list of key questions to help you to prepare for the seminars. Please regard the
seminars as an opportunity to raise anything that you have not understood in the lectures.
In addition to attendance at lectures and seminars, you should spend 8-10 hours per week
on your own independent study for this module. The lecture topics will cover the
following themes:
Autumn term
1. Welcome, administration and introduction to the subject area
2. The discipline of politics
3. Models of voting behaviour (1)
4. Models of voting behaviour (2)
5. Researching turnout in British general elections
6. Reading week
7. The internet and political research
8. Social surveys in political research
9. Elite interviewing
10. Participant observation
Spring Term
1. Ethical issues
2. Documentary analysis and archives
3. Interdisciplinarity and political science
4. The research process and research design
5. The role of theory in the research process
6. Reading week
7. The experimental, comparative and case study designs
8. Descriptive and inferential statistics
9. Researching Pressure Groups (1)
10. Researching Pressure Groups (2)
Summer Term
1: Researching Pressure Groups (3)
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Assessed essays and project report
During the year you will prepare two assessed essays, and one project report. These must
be submitted in accordance with the department’s e-submissions process – see
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/currentstudents/esubmission
Essay 1 (Maximum 2,500 words to be submitted by Thursday 25th November 2010)
These questions are alternatives: you answer one of them
1. What are the distinctive features of the discipline of politics? Compare the study of
politics in at least two countries to illustrate your answer
2. Why did turnout decline substantially between the British general elections of 1997 and
2001, yet recover a little in 2005 and 2010? Why is there such a strong contrast between
the turnout of the youngest and oldest cohorts of voters?
3. How far does the Downs model of voting help to explain the ways in which political
parties align themselves in general elections? Choose at least one country to illustrate
your answer.
Essay 2 (Maximum 2,500 words to be submitted by Thursday 10 March 2011)
These questions are alternatives – you answer one of them
1: In what ways does survey research contribute to the study of politics and what are its
principal limitations?
2: What are the main ways in which ethical problems arise in political science research?
How can they be dealt with?
3: Critically assess elite interviewing in terms of whether it produces evidence that it is
reliable and valid. What is its contribution to the discipline of political science?
4: What steps can we take to try and ensure that documentary materials and
autobiographies yield evidence that is reliable and valid?
5: Critically assess the research methods use in one of the following:
a) Whyte, W.F., Street Corner Society: The Social Structure of an Italian
Slum, fourth edition, University of California Press, 1993.
b) Burton, F., The Politics of Legitimacy: Struggles in a Belfast
Community, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1978.
c) Humphreys, L., The Tearoom Trade, Duckworth, 1970.
d) Okely, J., The Traveller Gypsies, Cambridge University Press, 1983.
e) Taylor, A., Women Drug Users: An Ethnography of a Female Injecting
Community Clarendon Press, 1993.
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f) Putnam, R. with Leonardi, R. and Raffaella, Y.N., Making Democracy
Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy, Princeton University Press,
1993.
g) Bevir M. and Rhodes, R., Governance Stories, London, Routledge,
2006.
h) Rhodes, R, t’Hart, P and Noordegraaf, M. (eds), Observing Government
Elites: Up Close and Personal. Palgrave Macmillan.
Project report (maximum. 3,000 words to be submitted by Thursday 19 May 2011)
The project is to gather data from the Internet and use it for analytical purposes. First, you
should select a British, American, EU or ‘home country’ pressure group that it is of
interest to you. Second, you should check that this pressure group has a web site. You
should then write a report on the following:
i)
What does the web site cover? How useful is it to someone trying to find out
about the organisation? What improvements would you suggest in either design
or content? (This should be approximately 25-35 per cent of the report)
ii) How effective does the pressure group appear to be? What are the main factors,
which make it more or less effective? (For this part of the question you may need
to use material other than on the group’s web site, including accessing other web
sites. You will be given credit for discussing the methodological problems that
arise in the study of pressure group effectiveness).
Marking and schedule adherence
The two essays and the project are weighted equally at 1/3rds of the overall mark.
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Module requirements
Should you not obtain a pass mark (40) in this module you will be required to sit a timed
examination.
Please note that on this module you are required to submit all three pieces of assessed
work. A failure to do so (unless there are medical or other extenuating
circumstances) will lead to the return of a mark of 0 for the module.
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Reading and researching
Subject to legal and operational requirements, copies of all core readings are available
either in the Library Short Loan Collection (SLC), Learning Grid or online. If a core
reading is not available in this manner, you should consult the Subject Librarian and your
module tutor.
We will arrange for some key readings to be scanned so that they are available
electronically.
Key module text
We expect all students to purchase the module textbook:
Burnham, P., Gilland, K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z., Research Methods in
Politics, Palgrave, 2008. This is the 2nd edition and contains material that was not
in the 1st edition.
You may also find the following books helpful:
Bryman, A., Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, 2008, 3rd edition
Marsh, D. and Stoker, S., Theory and Methods in Political Science, Macmillan, 3rd
edn. 2010.
Matthews, B and Ross, L. Research Methods: A Practical Guide for the Social
Sciences, Pearson 2010.
May, T., Social Research: Issues, Methods and Process, third edition, Open
University Press, 2002.
Moses, J.W. and Knutsen, T.L., Ways of Knowing: Competing Methodologies in
Social and Political Research, Palgrave Macmillan 2007.
Pierce, R., Research Methods in Politics: a Practical Guide, Sage, 2008.
Wisker, G. The Undergraduate Research Handbook. Palgrave Macmillan. 2009.
Other useful texts
Bell, C. and Newby, H., Doing Sociological Research, Allen and Unwin, 1977.
Bell, C. and Roberts, H., Social Researching: Politics, Problems, Practice,
Routledge Kegan Paul, 1984.
Box-Steffensmeier, J.M. Brady, H. & Collier, D. (eds) The Oxford Handbook of
Political Methodology. Oxford University Press. 2008.
Harrison, L. Political Research, Routledge, 2001.
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Hay, C. Political Analysis: a Critical Introduction, Palgrave Macmillan 2002.
Silverman, D., Doing Qualitative Research, 2nd edition, Sage, 2005.
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Seminar schedule, discussion topics and reading lists
All students will be expected to give two class presentations – one in the autumn term and
one in the spring term. More details to be given in the first seminar.
Please note that additional materials may be made available from time to time on the
website:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/currentstudents/moduledocs/firstyear/po102
Term 1, Week 2: Introduction and administration
Please note that seminars start in Week 2 and that this list of seminar topics generally runs
a week behind the lectures. The first seminar in Week 2 will be an introductory one.
Term 1, Week 3: The discipline of politics
Seminar discussion topics
 How can an academic discipline be defined?
 What are the key characteristics of American Political Science?
 How does British Political Science compare with American?
 Does an academic discipline need a mission?
Core reading
Adcock, R. and Bevir, M., The History of Political Science’, Political Studies Review,
vol.3, no.1, January 2005.
Adcock, R. Bevir, M and Stimson, S. Modern Political Science Since 1880, 2007, esp Ch
1, 5 and 8.
Bevir, M. and Rhodes, R., ‘British Political Sciences’ Ch. 3. in Governance Stories,
Routledge, 2006.
Burnham, P., Gilland, K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z., Research Methods in Politics,
Palgrave, 2008, Chs.1 and 12
Gunnell, J.G., ‘Political Science on the Cusp: Recovering a Discipline’s Past’, American
Political Science Review, vol.99 (4), 2005, 597-609.
Harrison, L. and Saez, L. ‘Political Studies in the UK: a 21st Century Health Check’,
European Political Science, Vol 8, No 3, 345-355, 2009. (New Statesmen magazine, 2
Nov 2009, has a 32 supplement on Political Studies which contains a version of this
article)
Hayward, J., Berry, B. and Brown, A. (eds.), The British Study of Politics in the Twentieth
Century, Oxford University Press, 1999, chs. 1 and 14.
Kerr, P. and Kettell, S. ‘In Defence of British Politics: the Past, Present and Future of the
Discipline’, British Politics, 1, 1, 3-25
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Klingemann, H-D (ed) The State of Political Science in Western Europe, 2006, (draft copy of
chapter on Britain by Goldsmith and Grant available at this link:
http://www.epsnet.org/Publications/2006Proceedings/pps/goldsmith.pdf
Somit, A. and Tannenhaus, J., The Development of American Political Science: From
Burgess to Behaviouralism, Boston, Allyn and Bacon, 1967.
Waldo, D., ‘Political Science: tradition, discipline, profession, science enterprise’ in
Greenstein, F. and Polsby, N., Handbook of Political Science, vol. 7.
Further reading
Blondel, J., The Discipline of Politics, London, Butterworth, 1981.
Blondel, J., Thinking Politically, Westview Press, 1976.
Daguerre, A., ‘Murder by Numbers: The Slow Death of French Political Science’,
European Political Science (EPS), 3.3, Summer 2004.
Dreijmanis, J., ‘Political Science in the United States: The Discipline and the Profession’,
Government and Opposition, vol.18, 1983, 194-217.
Dearlove, J., ‘The Political Science of British Politics’, Parliamentary Affairs, 1982, 43654.
Easton, D., Gunnel, J. and Graziano, L. (eds.), The Development of Political Science: A
Comparative Survey, Routledge, 1991.
Hayward, J. and Norton, P., The Political Science of British Politics, Wheatsheaf, 1986.
Kavanagh, D., ‘British Political Science in the inter-war years: the emergence of the
founding fathers’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations, vol.5, 4, 2003,
594-613
Kenny, M., ‘The Case for Disciplinary History: Political Studies in the 1950s and 1960s’,
British Journal of Politics and International Relations, vol.6, 2004, 565-83.
Mackenzie, W.J.M., The Study of Political Science Today, Macmillan, 1971.
Marsh, D. and Stoker, G., Theory and Methods in Political Science, Macmillan, 2010.
Moran, M., ‘Interdisciplinarity and Political Science’, Politics, vol.26 (2), 2006, 73-83.
Morton, R.B., Methods and Models: a Guide to the Empirical Analysis of Formal Models
in Political Science.
Norton, R ., ‘Retrospective Reflections: An Open Letter to the APSA Leadership and
Members’, Political Science and Politics (also known as PS), No.4., December 2000, and
related articles on the “perestroika” movement in American political science, 735-41.
Stark, A., ‘Why Political Scientists Aren’t Public Intellectuals’, Political Science and
Politics (SPS), vol.xxxv, September 2002.
Symposium on ‘Shaking Thing Up? Thoughts about the Future of Political Science’,
Political Science and Politics, vol.xxxv, June 2002.
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Term 1, Weeks 4 and 5: Models of voting behaviour
Seminar discussion topics:
 Distinguish between sociological and psychological models of voting behaviour.
What are their advantages and limitations?
 What are the main features the Downs model? To what extent is it helpful in
understanding voting behaviour?
 How do models help in the analysis of voting behaviour?
Core reading
Denver, D., Elections and Voters in Britain, pp. 18-25,Chs. 3 and 4, Palgrave Macmillan,
2003
Downs, A., An Economic Theory of Democracy, Harper Row, 1957
Evans J., Voters and Voting: an Introduction, Sage, 2004.
Green, J. And Hobolt, S.B. ‘Owning the Issue Agenda: Party Strategies and Vote Choices
in British Elections’, Electoral Studies, 27, 3, 2008, pp. 460-76.
Hakhverdian, A. ‘Capturing Government Policy on the Left–Right Scale: Evidence from
the United Kingdom, 1956–2006’, Political Studies, 57, 4, 2009, p 720-745.
Kavanagh, D. and Cowley, P. The British General Election of 2010. Palgrave Macmillan.
Quinn T., ‘The Conservative Party and the “Centre Ground” of British Politics, Journal of
Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 18, 2008, 179-199
Sanders, D., ‘Conservative Incompetence, Labour Responsibility and the Feelgood Factor:
why the economy failed to save the Conservatives in 1997’, Electoral Studies, 1999, 18, 2,
251-70.
Sanders, D. ‘Reflections on the 2005 General Election: Some Speculations on How the
Conservatives Can Win Next Time’, in British Politics, Vol 1, Issue 2, 2006, pp. 170-194
(some other articles in this edition of the journal may also be of interest).
Sanders, D., Clarke H. D., Stewart M. C. and Whiteley P. ‘The Endogeneity of Preference
in Spatial Models. Evidence from the 2005 British Election Study’, Journal of Elections,
Public Opinion and Parties. 18, 4, 2008, pp. 413-431
Van der Ejik, C. and Franklin, M. Elections and Voters. Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
Further reading
Berelson, B. and Mcphee, W., A study of opinion formation in a presidential election,
Chicago University Press, 1954.
Butler, D and Stokes, D., Political Change in Britain, Macmillan 1971
Campbell, A., Converse, P., Miller, W. and Stokes, D., The American Voter, John Wiley,
1960.
Grant, W. Economic Policy in Britain, Chapter 7, 2002
Heath, A., Jowell, R. and Curtice, J., Understanding Political Change: The British Voter
1954-87, Pergamon, 1993.
Hindmoor, A. ‘Reading Downs: New Labour and the Economic Theory of Democracy’,
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British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 7, 3, 2005, 442-59
Lewis-Beck, M. and Paldam, M. ‘Economic Voting: an Introduction’, Electoral Studies,
2000
Mughan, A. ‘Party Dealignment, Party Attachments and Leader Effects’, Journal of
Elections, Public Opinion and Parties. 19, 4, 2009, 413-431.
Nice, N., Verba, S. and Petrocik, J., The Changing American Voter, Harvard University
Press, 1976.
Robertson, D. A Theory of Party Competition
Sanders, D., ‘The Economy and Voting’, Parliamentary Affairs, 54, 2001., 789-802
Term 1, Week 6: Reading Week
Term 1, Week 7: Researching turnout in British general elections
Seminar discussion topics
 Why did turnout fall so dramatically in the 2001 General Election?
 Why did turnout rise slightly in the General Elections of 2005 and 2010?
 Are young voters alienated from the political system?
 How can participation in elections be improved?
Core reading
H Clarke et al, 'Taking the Bloom off New Labour's Rose: Party Choice and Voter
Turnout in Britain, 2005', Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 16(1), February 2006, 336.
Denver, D., Elections and Voting Behaviour in Britain, Harvester, Wheatsheaf, 1994,
ch.2, ‘Turnout: Why People Vote (or Don’t).
Geys, B., ‘“Rational” Theories of Voter Turnout: A Review’, Political Studies Review,
vol.4, no.1, 2006, 16-35.
Henn, M., Weinstein, M. and Wring, D., ‘A Generation Apart? Youth and Political
Participation in Britain, British Journal of Politics and International Studies, vol.4, 2, June
2002, 167.
Henn, M., Weinstein, M. and Forrest, S., ‘Uninterested Youth? Young People’s Attitudes
towards Party Politics in Britain’, Political Studies, , vol.53, no.3, 2005, 556-78
Pattie, C. and Johnston, R., ‘A Low Turnout Landslide: Abstention at the British General
Election of 1997’, Political Studies, 2001, vol.49, 286-305.
Rosema, M. ‘Low Turnout: Threat to Democracy or Blessing in Disguise? Consequences
of Citizens Varying Tendencies to Vote’, Electoral Studies, Vol 26, issue 3, 2007, 612623 (some other articles in this edition of the journal may also be of interest).
Worcester, R. and Mortimore, R., Explaining Labour’s Second Landslide, Politicos, 2002,
ch.2.
Worcester, R., Mortimore, R. and Baines, P., Explaining Labour’s Landslip, Politico’s,
2005, Ch.5
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Further reading
Blais, A. and Dobrzynska, A., ‘Turnout in electoral democracies’, European Journal of
Political Research 33 (1998), 239-61.
Brockington, D., ‘The Paradox of Proportional Representation: The Effect of Party
Systems and Coalitions on Individuals’ Electoral Participation’, Political Studies, 52
(2004) 469-90.
Denver, D. ‘Another Reason to Support Marriage? Turnout and the Decline of Marriage in
Britain, British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 10, 4 (2008), 666-680.
Denver, D. and Hands, G., ‘Exploring Variations in Turnout: Constituencies and Wards in
the Scottish Parliament Elections of 1999 and 2002’, British Journal of Politics and
International Relations, 6 (2004), 527-42.
Denver, D. and Hands, G., ‘Marginality and Turnout in British General Elections’, British
Journal of Political Science, 4 (1974), 17-35.
Denver, D. and Hands, G., ‘Marginality and Turnout in British General Elections in the
1970s’, British Journal of Political Science, 15 (1985), 381-88.
Denver, D. and Hands, G., ‘Turnout’ in Norris, P. and Gavin, N. (eds.), Britain Votes
1997, Oxford University Press, 1997.
Downs, A., An Economic Theory of Democracy, Harper Row, 1957.
Franklin, M.N., Voter Turnout and the Dynamics of Electoral Competition in Advanced
Democracies since 1945, Cambridge University Press.
Hill, L, ‘On the Reasonableness of Compelling Citizens to Vote: the Australian Case’,
Political Studies, 50 (2003), 80-101.
Lewis-Beek, M. and Paldam, M.,’Economic Voting: An Introduction’, Electoral Studies,
2000.
Lijphart, A. ‘Unequal Participation: Democracy’s Unresolved Dilemma’ Presidential
Address American Political Science Association 1996, in American Political Science
Review, 91, 1, 1997, 1-14.
Rallings, C. Thrasher, M. and Borisyuk, G. ‘Much Ado about Not Very Much: the
Electoral Consequences of Postal Voting in the 2005 British General Election’, British
Journal of Politics and International Relations, 12:2, 2010, 223-238.
Saunders, B. ‘Increasing Turnout: A Compelling Case?’, Politics, 30, 1, 2010, 70-77.
Website of the Electoral Commission: http://www.electoralcommission.gov.uk
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Term 1, Week 8: The Internet and Political Research
Seminar discussion topics
 Browse the list of full text electronic journals and download a recent article
published in the American Political Science Review, British Journal of Political
Research or World Politics. See:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/main/electronicresources/journals
 What are the advantages and limitations of the internet as a research source in
political science?
 Does the internet have to be treated differently from full text electronic journals
and other information sources? In what way?
 Consider the ways in which social networking sites could (a) help the political
research process and (b) promote political participation?
(* in terms of library data collection the following may be helpful. Babbie, E., (2006). The
Practice of Social Research, Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Appendix A,
‘Using the Library’).
Recommended reading

Bryman, A. (2008) Social Research Methods, Ch 26

Burnham, P. et al (2008) Research Methods in Politics, Ch 8

Jackson, N. and Lilleker, D. (2009) ‘MPs and E-Representation: Me, MySpace and I’,
British Politics, 4, 2, 236-264.

Lilleker, D. Pack. M. and Jackson, N. (2010) ‘Political Parties and Web 2.0: The
Liberal Democrat Perspective’, Politics, 30, 2, 105-112.

Matthews, B. and Ross, L. (2010) Research Methods: A Practical Guide for the Social
Sciences. Pearson Education Limited. C 10.

Schlozman, K. L, Verba, S. and Brady, H. (2010) ‘Weapon of the Strong?
Participatory Inequality and the Internet’, Perspectives on Politics, 8, 2, 487-509.

Wills, D. and Reeves, S. (2009) ‘Facebook as a Political Weapon: Information in
Social Networks’, British Politics, 4, 2, 265-281
Important library link:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/main/electronicresources/journals
Google Scholar:
http://scholar.google.co.uk
Delicious – social bookmarking service
http://delicious.com
16
Journal search engines or subject directories:
Web of knowledge
http://wok.mimas.ac.uk
JSTOR
http://uk.jstor.org/search
Political Studies Association
http://www.psa.ac.uk
Subject directories:
Zarate’s Political Collection
http://www.terra.es/personal2/monolith
Google News
http://news.google.co.uk
Alltheweb
http://www.alltheweb.com/?cat=news
Intute
http://www.intute.ac.uk/politics
Links to UK Political websites
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8044401.stm
Online primary data:
US Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov
OECD
http://www.oecd.org
Asian Development Bank
http://www.adb.org
UK Office of National Statistics
http://www.statistics.gov.uk
UK National Archives
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Country profiles:
Foreign and Commonwealth
Office
http://www.fco.gov.uk
Central Intelligence Agency
http://www.cia.gov
European Union news
http://www.euractiv.com
Newspapers and magazines
The Times
http://thetimes.co.uk
The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk
The Daily Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
The Economist
http://www.economist.com
Current affairs
BBC news
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news
Politics Home
http://www.politicshome.com
Think Politics
http://www.thinkpolitics.co.uk
Political blog directories & guides
http://www.blogged.com/directory/society/government/politics
http://www.totalpolitics.com/politicalblogs
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/the_daily_politics/6228661.stm
Term 1, Week 9: Social surveys in political research
Seminar discussion topics
 How useful are surveys in political research?
 What are the advantages and limitations of survey research?
 In what circumstances might it be appropriate to use (i) face-to-face
interviewing, (ii) a mail survey, (iii) telephone interviewing, (iv) internet polling
Core reading
Bryman, A., Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, 2008, ch.4, 7.
Burnham, P., Gilland, K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z., Research Methods in Politics,
Palgrave, 2008, chs. 4,5,6 and pp.224-227
Harrison, L., Political Research: An Introduction, Routledge, 2001, ch.3.
Matthews, M. and Ross, L. Research Methods: a Practical Guide for the Social Sciences,
Pearson Education Limited, 2010, Ch. B5 and C3.
Moon, N., Opinion Polls: History, Theory and Practice, Manchester University Press,
1999.
Pierce, R. Research Methods in Politics: a Practical Guide. Sage Publications, 2008, Ch
10.
Further reading
Fink, A. and Kosecoff, J., How to Conduct Surveys (second edition), London, Sage, 1998.
Hodder-Williams, R. Public Opinion Polls and British Politics, Routledge & Kegan Paul,
1970.
Hoinville, G., Jowell, R. et al, Survey Research Practice, Heinemann, 1978.
Marsh, C., The Survey Method: The Contribution of Surveys to Sociological Explanation,
London, Allen & Unwin, 1982.
Teer, F. and Spence, J.D., Political Opinion Polls, Hutchinson, 1973.
Terhanian, G. ‘Changing Times, Changing Modes. The Fate of Public Opinion Polling?
Journal of Elections Public Opinion and Parties, 18, 4, 2008, 331-342
Twyman, J. ‘Getting it Right: You Gov and Online Survey Research in Britain’, Journal
of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 18, 4, 2008, 343-354.
Worcester, R.M., British Public Opinion: A Guide to the History and Methodology of
Public Opinion Polling.
Worcester, R.M. and Mortimore, R., Explaining Labour’s Landslide, ch.2.
18
Classical examples of Political Surveys:
Butler, D. and Stokes, D., Political Change in Britain, Macmillan, 1971.
Crewe, I., ‘Do Butler and Stokes Really Explain Political Change in Britain?’, European
Journal of Political Research, 1974, 47-02.
Crewe, I. et al., ‘Partisan Dealignment in Britain 19674’, British Journal of Political
Science, 1977, 129-90.
Heath, A., Jowell, R. and Curtice, J., The Rise of New Labour, Oxford University Press,
2001.
Rose, R., Governing without Consensus, Faber, 1971.
Saggar, S., Race and Representation, Manchester University Press, 2000.
Seyd, P., and Whiteley, P., New Labour’s Grass Roots, Clarendon Press, 1999.
Whiteley, P., Seyd, P. and Richardson, J., True Blues: The Politics of Conservative Party
Membership, Clarendon Press, 1994.
You may also find the following polling organisation websites helpful:
http://www.yougov.com/frontpage/home
http://www.ipsos-mori.com
http://www.icmresearch.co.uk
http://www.comres.co.uk
http://www.populuslimited.com
These websites are also informative on opinion polls
http://www6.politicalbetting.com
http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog
Term 1, Week 10: Elite interviewing
Seminar discussion topics
 How does elite interviewing differ from other types of interviewing procedure?
 Is access the most difficult problem in elite interviewing?
 How trustworthy is data gained by elite interviewing?
 What ethical issues arise in elite interviewing?
19
Core reading
Bryman, A., Social Research Methods, 2008, ch.18.
Burnham, P., Gilland, K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z., Research Methods in Politics,
Palgrave, 2008, ch.9.
Dexter, L.A., Elite and Specialized Interviewing, Sage, Evanston, 1970. (New edition,
ECPR Press, 2006)
Matthews, B and Ross, L. Research Methods: A Practical Guide for the Social Sciences.
2010. Ch C4.
Pierce, R. Research Methods in Politics: a Practical Guide. 2008, Ch 9.
Rubin, H. J. and Rubin, I. S., Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data, Sage,
1995. (2nd edition 2005)
Slote Morris, Z. ‘The Truth about Interviewing Elites’, Politics, 2009, 29, 3,
Further reading
Davies, P.H.J., ‘Spies as informants: triangulation and the interpretation of elite interview
data in the study of the intelligence and security services’, Politics, vol.21, 1, 2001, 74.
Deakin, N. and Parry, P. (2000) The Treasury and Social Policy
Ethridge, M. The Political Research Experience: Readings and Analysis. (1990) Chapter
9 on elite interviewing.
Goldstein, K., ‘Getting in the door: sampling and completing elite interviews’, Political
Science and Politics, vol.24, 2002, 683.
Grant, W. (1995) Autos, Smog and Pollution Control
Grant, W., ‘Elite Interviewing: A Practical Guide’, University of Birmingham Discussion
Papers in German Studies, IGS2000/11
Greaves, J. (2008) ‘Continuity and Change in Business Representation in Britain: an
Assessment of the Heseltine Initiatives of the 1990’s’, forthcoming in Environment and
Planning: Government and Policy, can be accessed at
http://www.envplan.com/abstract.cgi?id=c0746r
Headey, B., British Cabinet Ministers, Allen & Unwin, 1974.
Heclo, H. and Wildavksy, A. (1981) The Private Government of Public Money (2nd
edition)
Hertz, R. and Imber, J.B. (eds.), Studying Elites Using Qualitative Methods, London,
Sage, 1995.
Lilleker, G., ‘Interviewing the political elite: navigating a potential minefield’, Politics,
vol.23, 3, 2003.
May, T., Social Research, ch.6.
20
McEvoy, J. (2006) ‘Elite Interviewing in a Divided Society: Lessons from Northern
Ireland’, Politics, 26(3), 184-91
Moyser, G. and Wagstaffe, M. Research Methods for Elite Studies
Page, E.C. and Jenkins, B. (2005) Policy Bureaucracy: Government with a Cast of
Thousands
Reinhardt, G. ‘I don’t Know Monica Lewinsky and I’m Not in the CIA. Now How About
that Interview’, Political Science and Politics, 42, 2, 2009, 295-298.
Richards, D., ‘Elite Interviewing: Approaches and Pitfalls’, Politics, vol.16, 1996, 199204.
Seldon, A., Contemporary History, Oxford, Blackwell, 1988.
Steward, G., ‘On the Record: An Introduction to Interviewing’, ch.7 in Burnham, P.,
Surviving the Research Process in Politics, London, Pinter, 1997.
van Schendelen, ‘Interviewing Members of Parliament’, Political Methodology, vol.10, 3,
1984, 314.
Williams, P., ‘Interviewing Politicians: The Life of Hugh Gaitskell’, Political Quarterly,
vol.51, 1980, 303-16.
21
Term 2, Week 1: Participant observation
Seminar discussion topics
 How can participant observation be defined?
 When can participant observation be used in political research?
 How important are gatekeepers in participant observation research?
 What ethical issues may arise in participant observation?
Core reading
Bevir, M. and Rhodes, R., Governance Stories, London, Routledge, 2006, Ch.7,
‘Everyday Life in a Ministry’.
Bryman, A., Social Research Methods, chs. 11, 17.
Burnham, P., Gilland, K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z., Research Methods in Politics,
Palgrave, 2008, pp. 264-281
Matthews, M and Ross, L. Research Methods: a Practical Guide for the Social Sciences,
2010, Ch C6.
May, T., Social Research, ch.7.
Moug, P. (2007) ‘Non-participant Observation in Political Research: The “Poor” Relation,
Politics 27(2), June 2007, 108-114
Rhodes, R (2009) ‘Frank Stacey Memorial Lecture 2008: Scenes from the Departmental
Court’, Public Policy and Administration. Vol 24. No 4.
R.A.W. Rhodes, Paul t’Hart and Mirko Noordegraaf, Observing government elites: up
close and personal, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, especially introduction, conclusion and
chapter by Rhodes.
Further reading
Becker, H., ‘Problems of Inference and Proof in Participant Observation, American
Sociological Review, vol.23, 1958, 652-660.
Bell, C. and Newby, H., Doing Sociological Research, especially chs. by Newby, Bell,
Pahl and Wallis.
Boelen, W.A.M., ‘Street Corner Society, Cornerville Revisited’, Journal of
Contemporary Ethnography, vol.21, no.1, April 1992, 11-51.
Bulmer, M. (ed.), Social Research Ethics, Macmillan, 1982, chs. 5 and 12.
Burton, F., The Politics of Legitimacy: Struggles in a Belfast Community, Routledge
Kegan Paul, 1978.
Dargie, C. (1998) ‘Observation in Political Research: A Qualitative Approach’, Politics,
18(1), 1998, 65-71
Gans, H.J., The Levittowners: Ways of Life and Politics in a New Suburban Community,
Allen Lane, 1967.
22
Giulianotti, R., ‘Participant Observation and Research into Football Hooliganism:
Reflections on Problems of Entry and Everyday Risks’, Sociology of Sport Journal,
vol.12, 1995, 1-20.
Humphreys, H., The Tea Room Trade, Duckworth, 1970.
Johnson, J. ‘Unwilling Participant Observation among Russian Siloviki and the GoodEnough Field Researcher’. Political Science and Politics, 42, 2, 2009, 321-24.
Okeley, J., The Traveller Gypsies, Cambridge University Press, 1990.
Pryce, K., Endless Pressure, London, Penguin, 1979.
Purdie, B., Politics in the Streets, Blackshott Press, 1990.
Taylor, A., Women Drug Users: An Ethnography of a Female Injecting Community,
Clarendon Press, 1993.
Whyte, W. F., Street Corner Society: The Social Structure of and Italian Slum, fourth
edition, University of Chicago Press, 1993.
Term 2, Week 2: Ethical issues in political research
Seminar discussion topics
 In what areas may ethical issues arise in social research?
 How important is informed consent?
rights of participants?
Has there been too great a focus on the
 Can covert research ever be justified?
 Under what circumstance, if any, does a researcher have an ethical duty to
reveal the identity of a source and information gained in confidence?
Core reading
Bryman, A., Social Research Methods, 2008, ch.5.
Burnham, P., Gilland, K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z., Research Methods in Politics,
Palgrave, 2008, ch.11.
.Finch, J., ‘Ethics and Politics of Interviewing Women’ in Bell, C. and Roberts, H., Social
Researching: Politics, Problems, Practice, Routledge Kegan Paul, 1984.
Horowitz, I. (ed.), The Rise and Fall of Project Camelot, Cambridge, Mass., M.I.T. Press,
1967.
Matthews, B and Ross, L. Research Methods: A Practical Guide for the Social Sciences,
2010, Ch A5.
May, T., Social Research, ch.3.
Pierce, R. Research Methods in Politics: a Practical Guide. 2010, Ch 2.
Spicker, P. ‘The Ethics of Policy Research’, Evidence and Policy, 3 (1), 2007, 99-118
23
Further reading
American Political Science Association: Code of Ethics.
http://www.apsanet.org/content_9350.cfm
Barnes, J.A., Who Should Know What?, Cambridge University Press, 1980.
Barnes, J.A., The Ethics of Inquiry in Social Science, Oxford University Press, 1977.
Bulmer, M. (ed.), Censuses, Surveys and Privacy, Macmillan, 1979.
Bulmer, M., Social Research Ethics, Macmillan, 1982.
Bell, C. and Newby, H., Doing Sociological Research, especially Introduction and chs.4
and 7.
British Sociological Association: Statement of Ethical Practice.
Humphreys, L., The Tea Room Trade, Duckworth, 1970.
Term 2, Week 3: Documentary analysis and archives
Seminar discussion topics
•
How can documents be classified?
•
How valuable are documentary archives for political research?
•
How useful is content analysis as a method of documentary research?
•
How valuable are the diaries and memoirs of politicians for political scientists?
Core reading
Bryman, A., Social Research Methods, ch.21.
Burnham, P., Gilland, K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z., Research Methods in Politics,
Palgrave, 2008, ch.7.
Catterall, P. and Jones, H., Understanding Documents and Sources
Laver, M., Benoit, K. and Garry, J., ‘Extracting Policy Positions from Political Texts
using Words as Data’, American Political Science Review, 2003.May, T., Social
Research, ch.8.
Matthews, B and Ross, L. Research Methods: a Practical Guide for the Social Sciences.
2010, Ch C8 and D7.
Scott, J., A Matter of Record, Cambridge, Polity, 1990.
Wass, D., Decline to fall: the making of British macro-economic policy and the 1976 IMF
crisis, Introduction.
Webb, E. J. et al., ‘The use of archival sources in Social Research’ in Bulmer, M. (ed.),
Sociological Research Methods.
24
Further reading
Blair, T. A Journey. Hutchinson, 2010
Campbell, A. The Blair Years: Extracts from the Alastair Campbell Diaries. Hutchinson,
2007.
Campbell, A. Diaries Volume One: Prelude to Power 1994-1997 (Campbell Diaries Uncut
Vol 1). Hutchinson, 2010.
Castle, B., The Castle Diaries 1974-76, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1980.
Clark, A., Diaries, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1993.
Crossman, R., Diaries of a Cabinet Minister, Hamish Hamilton & Jonathan Cape, 1975.
Duverger, M., Introduction to the Social Sciences, part I, ch.1
Gamble, A., ‘Political Memoirs’, British Journal of Politics and International Relations,
vol.4., no.1, April 2002.
Glynn, S. and Booth, A., ‘The Public Record Office and Recent British Economic
Histiography’ The Economic History Review, vol.32, no.3.
Heath, E., The Course of My Life: The Autobiography of Edward Heath, Hodder &
Stoughton, 1998.
Jones, G.W ., ‘The Value of Recent Biographies, Autobiographies and Diaries’,
Parliamentary Affairs, vol.34, 1981, 335-46.
Kelly, S., ‘Ministers Matter: Gaitskell and Butler at Odds over Convertibility’,
Contemporary British History, vol.14, no.4, 27-53.
Lamont, N., In Office, London, Little Brown, 1999.
Madge, J., The Tools of Social Science, ch.2.
Mandelson, P. The Third Man: Life at the Heart of New Labour. HarperPress, 2010.
Major, J. The Autobiography, London, Harper Collins, 1999.
Morgan, J., ‘A Review of Reviews of Crossman’, Political Quarterly 8 (1977), 214-19.
Mullin, C. A View from the Foothills: the Diaries of Chris Mullin. Profile Books, 2009.
Thatcher, M., The Downing Street Years, London, Harper Collins, 1993.
Williams, P., ‘Foot Faults in the Gaitskell-Bevan Match’, Political Studies, 1979, 129-40.
Wilson, H., The Labour Government 1964-70, Pelican Books, 1974.
Term 2, Week 4: Interdisciplinarity and Political Science
Seminar discussion topics

What is interdisciplinarity?

Does Politics as a discipline lend itself to interdisciplinary research?

What are the challenges and opportunities in terms of collaboration between
political and natural scientists?
25
Core Reading
Grant. W. (2009) ‘Interdisciplinary Approaches to Policy Change: the Example of RELU’,
paper presented to the International Political Science Association Congress, Santiago,
Chile, available on the module website.
Greaves, J. and Grant. W. (2010) ‘Crossing the interdisciplinary Divide: Political Science
and Natural Science’, Political Studies, 58, 2, 320-339 (some of the other articles in this
special edition may also be of interest).
McKenzie, K. (2007) ‘Comments on Moran’s “Interdisciplinarity and Political Science”’,
Politics 27(2), pp.119-122.
Moran, M. (2006) ‘Interdisciplinarity and Political Science’, Politics 26(2), pp.73-83
Warleigh-Lack, A. and Cini, M. (2008) ‘Interdisciplinarity and the Study of Politics’,
European Political Science, 8:1, 4-15.
Further Reading
Ashworth, L.M. (2009) ‘Interdisciplinarity and international relations’, European Political
Science, 8:1, 16-25.
Axelrod, R. (2008) ‘Political Science and Beyond: Presidential Address to the American
Poliical Science Association’, Perspectives on Politics, 6:1, 3-9.
Bracken, L.J. and Oughton, E.A. (2006) ‘”What do you mean?”’ The importance of
language in interdisciplinary research’, Transactions of the Institute of British
Geographers, NS 31, 371-82.
Burnham, P., Gilland Lutz, K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z. (2008) Research Methods
in Politics (2nd edition). Basingstoke: Palgrave-Macmillan. Chapter 1.
Greaves, J. (2008) Interdisciplinary Research: Some Practical, Methodological and
Philosophical Reflections. Available online at:
http://www.relu.ac.uk/research/Interdisciplinarity.html Click on discussions on
interdisciplinarity.
Hay, C. (2002) Political Analysis. Palgrave Macmillan. Ch 1. & Conclusion.
Keating, M. (2009) ‘Putting European Political Science back together again’, European
Political Science Review, 1:2. pp 297-316.
Kelly, J. (2009) ‘What can Interdisciplinarity Offer to Policy Problems? Understanding
the Public Policy of Obesity’, European Political Science, 8:1, 47-56.
Lawton, J.H. (2007) ‘Ecology, politics and policy’, Journal of Applied Ecology, 44, 46574.
26
Lowe, P. and Phillipson, J. (2006) ‘Reflexive Interdisciplinary Research: The Making of a
Research Programme on the Rural Economy and Land Use’, Journal of Agricultural
Economics, 57:2, 165-84.
Lowe, P. and Phillipson, J. (2009) ‘Barriers to research collaboration across disciplines:
scientific paradigms and institutional practices’, Environment and Planning A, 41:5, 117184.
Lowe, P., Phillipson, J. and Lee, R.P. (2009) ‘Socio-technical innovation for sustainable
food chains: roles for social science’, Trends in Food Science and Technology, 19:5, 226233.
Lowe, P., Whitman, G. and Phillipson, J. (2009) ‘Ecology and the social sciences’,
Journal of Applied Ecology, 46:2, 297-305.
Mackenize, W.J.M. (1967) Politics and Social Science (Harmondsworth: Penguin)
Marzano, M., Carss, D. N. & Bell, S. (2006). Working to make interdisciplinarity work:
investing in communication and interpersonal relationships. Journal of Agricultural
Economics, 57, 185 – 197.
Newell, W.H. (2001) ‘A Theory of Interdisciplinary Studies’, Issues in Integrative
Studies, 19:1, 1-25.
Phillipson, J., Lowe, P. and Bullock, J.M. (2009) ‘Navigating the social sciences:
interdisciplinarity and ecology’, Journal of Applied Ecology, 46:2, 261-64.
Term 2, Week 5: The research process and research design
Seminar discussion topics
 Choose an interesting topic in the discipline of politics and international studies
and develop a relevant research question. Write your topic and question down.
Is your question a ‘what’, ‘why’ or ‘how’ question?
 In your opinion, how valuable is using the research labyrinth for answering the
question and doing the research?
 How are you going to answer your question? What type of research design will
you choose? Which of the five most common designs? Why?
Core reading
Blaikie, N., (2005). Designing Social Research, Cambridge: Polity Press, Ch. 1 and Ch. 2
Bryman, A., (2004). Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Ch. 2
Burnham, P., Gilland, K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z., (2008). Research Methods in
Politics, Palgrave, Ch. 2
27
Hague and Harrop (2010). Comparative Government and Politics, An Introduction,
London: MacMillan, 8th Edition. Chapter 3.
Marsh, D and Stoker, G. (2010). Theory and Methods in Political Science. Palgrave
Macmillan, Ch 11.
Matthews, M. and Ross, L. Research Methods: A Practical Guide for the Social Sciences.
Pearson Education Limited, Ch B3.
Pierce, R. (2008) Research Methods in Politics, Ch 5.
De Vaus, D., (2001). Research Design in Social Research, London: Sage, Ch. 1.
Further reading
Babbie, E., (2006). The Practice of Social Research, Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing
Company, ch.1, ‘Human Inquiry and Science’
Bartov, V., (1997) ‘Research Design – A Rough Guide’, in Burnham, P. (ed.), Surviving
the Research Process in Politics, London: Pinter
King, G., R.O. Keohane and S. Verba. (1994). Designing Social Inquiry, Princeton:
Princeton University Press, Ch. 1
Punch, K., (1998). Introduction to Social Research: A Guide to Quantitative and
Qualitative Research, Sage.
Silverman, (2005). Doing Qualitative Research, London: Sage, Ch. 5 and Ch. 6
Term 2, Week 6: Reading Week
Term 2, Week 7: The role of theory in the research process
Seminar discussion topics

Discuss the distinction between ‘middle range’ and ‘grand theory’ as outlined
by Merton
 Consider the possible relationship between education and voting behaviour.
Describe how that relationship might be examined through (a) deductive and (b)
inductive methods
 What is the link between theory and research? Read an article from the
American Political Science Review, British Journal of Political Science or
World Politics, and find out how theory was utilized in this article.
28
Core reading
Babbie, E., (2006). The Practice of Social Research, Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing
Company, ch.2, ‘Paradigms, Theory and Social Research’
Bryman, A., (2008). Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Ch. 1
Geddes, Barbara (2006). Paradigms and Sand Castles; theory building and research
design in comparative politics, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, Ch. 1
Matthews, B and Ross, L.(2010) Research Methods: A Practical Guide for the Social
Sciences. Pearson Education Limited, Ch A2.
Silverman, D. (2005). Doing Qualitative Research, London: Sage, Ch. 7
Further reading
Beecher, J. and Andres, D., (1989). ‘Applied Political Science: Bridging the Gap or a
Bridge Too Far?’, Political Science and Politics, vol.32, September
Blaikie, N., (2005). Designing Social Research, Cambridge: Polity Press, Ch. 3, 4 and 5
Hay, C. (2002) Political Analysis, esp pp 37-49.
Marsh, D. and Stoker, G., (2010).Theory and Methods in Political Science, Macmillan
“The Role of Theory in Comparative Politics: A Symposium”, contributions by Kohli,
Evans, Katzenstein, Przeworski, World Politics, vol. 48, Oct 1995, pp.1-21
Term 2, Week 8: The experimental, comparative and case study designs
Seminar discussion topics

Discuss the view that whilst the experimental design is most associated with
natural science, it offers great potential to political scientists.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of small-N studies in the discipline
of politics in your opinion?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of case studies (e.g. one country) in
the discipline of politics in your opinion?
Core reading
(* some of the reading listed under ‘the research process and research design’ may also be
helpful here).
Burnham, P., Gilland, K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z., (2008). Research Methods in
Politics, Palgrave, Ch.3
29
Flyvbjerg, B. ‘Five Misunderstandings about Case Study Research’, Qualitative Inquiry,
12, 2, 2006, 219-245.
Landman, T. (2003). Issues and Methods in Comparative Politics, London: Routledge,
chapter 1, 2 and 3
Marsh, D and Stoker, G. (2010). Theory and Methods in Political Science, Ch 14 & 15.
Moses, J and Knutsen, T, (2007). Ways of Knowing. Ch 3, 5 & 6.
Further reading
Bennett, A. and C. Elman (2007). Case study methods in the international relations
subfield. Comparative Political Studies, 40(2), 170-195
Cohen, J and Medley, G. (2005) Stop Working and Start Thinking: Second Edition, Ch 9
Collier, David (1999). “The Comparative Method: Two Decades of Change” in Dankwart
Rustow and Kenneth Paul Erikson, Comparative Political Dynamics, New York, Harper
Collins, pp. 7-31
Dogan, Mattei and Dominique Pelassy, (1994). How to Compare Nations: Strategies in
Comparative Politics, 2nd edition, Boulder: Westview Press, Part 1
Druckman, J. Green, D, Kuklinski. J. and Lupia, A. ‘The Growth and Development of
Experimental Research in Political Science’, American Political Science Review, 100, 4,
2006, 627-636.
Geddes, Barbara (2006). Paradigms and Sand Castles; theory building and research
design in comparative politics, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, chapter 3
Green, D. and Gerber, A. ‘The Underprovision of Experiments in Political Science’, the
ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 589, September, 94112.
Gomm, Roger, Martyn Hammersley and Peter Foster (eds), (2000). Case study method:
key issues, key texts, London: Sage
Lijphart, A. (1971). ‘Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method’ in The American
Political Science Review, vol. 65, pp. 682-693
Morton, R. and Williams, K. (2008) ‘Experimentation in Political Science’, in J. BoxSteffenmeiser, D. Colier and H Brady (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Political
Methodology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Przeworski, A. & H. Teune (1970). The Logic of Comparative Social Inquiry, New York:
Wiley, pp. 3-46
Ragin, Charles (1987). The Comparative Method: moving beyond qualitative and
quantitative strategies, Berkeley: University of California Press
Shadish, W., Cook, T., and Campbell, D. (2002) Experimental and Quazi-Experimental
Designs for Generalised Causal Inference. Bolton: Houghton Mifflin.
30
Silverman, D. (2005), Doing Qualitative Research, London: Sage, Ch. 8 and 9
Stoker, G. (2010) ‘Exploring the Promise of Experimentation in Political Science: MicroFoundational Insights and Policy Relevance’, Political Studies, 58:2, 300-319.
Stoker,G. and John, P. (2009) ‘Design Experiments: Engaging Policy Makers in the
Search for Evidence about What Works’, Political Studies 57:2, 356-73.
Verba, Sydney, Norman H. Nie, Jae-on Kim (1978). Participation and Political Equality;
a Seven-Nation Comparison, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 23-44 (Chapter
2 ‘Comparing Participatory Systems’)
Yin, Robert K. (2000). Case study research: design and methods, London: Sage
Term 2, Week 9: Descriptive and inferential statistics
Seminar discussion topics


What is the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of quantitative studies in the
discipline of politics in your opinion? Use one of the articles below (in Selection
of articles) to answer this question.
Core reading
Babbie, E., (2006). The Practice of Social Research, Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing
Company, ch.15, ‘Elementary Quantitative Analyses’
Babbie, E., (2006). The Practice of Social Research, Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing
Company, ch.17, ‘Social Statistics’
Blastland, M. and Dilnot, A. (2008) The Tiger That Isn’t: Seeing Through a World of
Numbers. Profile Books.
Bryman, A., (2008). Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Ch. 6 and 14
Burnham, P., Gilland, K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z., (2008). Research Methods in
Politics, Palgrave, Ch.5 and Ch 6.
Marsh, D. and Stoker, G. (2010) Theory and Methods in Political Science, Ch 13.
Mattthews, B. and Ross, L. (2010) Research Methods: A Practical Guide for the Social
Sciences. Ch D3.
Moses, J. and Knutsen, T. (2007) Ways of Knowing: Competing Methodologies in Social
and Political Research. Palgrave Macmillan, Ch 4.
Pierce, R. (2008) Research Methods in Politics, Ch 13-16
31
Selection of articles
Blais, A. and Carty, R.K., ‘Does Proportional Representation Foster Voter Turnout?’ in
European Journal of Political Research, vol.18, 1996, 167-81.
Lipset, S.M., ‘Some Social Requisites of Democracy: Economic Development and Political
Legitimacy’ in American Political Science Review, 1959, vol. 53, 69-105.
Moore, M., ‘Democracy and development in cross-national perspective: a new look at the
statistics’, Democratization, vol.2, no.2, 1995, 1-19.
Saideman, S., Lanoue, D., Campenni, M. and Stanton, S., ‘Democratization, Political
Institutions, and Ethnic Conflict: A Pooled, Cross-Sectional Time Series Analysis from
1985-1998’, Comparative Political Studies, vol.35, no.1, 2002, 103-129.
Further reading
Adeney, K. and Carey, S. ‘Contextualising the Teaching of Statistics in Political Science’,
Politics, 29, 3, 2009, 193-200.
Boix, C. and S. Stokes, S., ‘Endogenous democratization’ in World Politics, vol.55, 2003,
517-49.
Bollen, K.A., ‘World System Position, Dependency, and Democracy: The Cross-National
Evidence’, American Sociological Review, vol. 48, 1983, 468-79.
Foweraker J. and Landman, T., ‘Economic development and democracy revisited: why
dependency theory is not yet dead’ in Democratization, vol.11, no.1, 2004, 1-20.
Haggard, S. and Kaufman, R., ‘The political economy of democratic transitions’,
Comparative Politics, vol.29, no.3, 1996, 263-83.
Inglehart, R. and C. Welzel, Modernization, Cultural Change and Democracy; The
Human Development Sequence, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005, ch.8, ‘The
Causal Link between Democratic Values and Democratic Institutions’.
Lipset, S., ‘The social requisites of democracy revisited’, American Sociological Review,
vol.59, 1994, 1-22.
Przeworski, A. and Limongi, F., ‘Modernization: Theories and Facts’ in World Politics,
1997, vol.49, no.2, 155-183.
Term 2, Week 10; Term 3, Week 2 and Week 3: researching pressure groups
Seminar discussion topics
•
How can pressure groups be classified?
•
How can pressure group effectiveness be measured?
•
How valuable is the distinction between insider groups and outsider groups?
•
Under what conditions does direct action work as a pressure group strategy?
32
Core reading
Binderkrantz, A., ‘Interest Group Strategies: Navigating Between Privileged Access and
Strategies of Pressure’, Political Studies, vol.53, no.4, 694-715.
Grant, W., Pressure Groups and British Politics, Macmillan, 2000, especially ch.10.
Grant, W., ‘Pressure Politics: A Politics of Collective Consumption, Parliamentary
Affairs, 58, 2, 2005, 366-79.
Grant, W. and Greaves, J., ‘Pressure Politics: Business as Usual but an Expanding Private
Sector’ in Rush, M. and Giddings, P. (eds.), The Palgrave Review of British Politics,
2005, 61-77.
Further reading
Baggott, R. Allsop, J. and Jones, K. Speaking for Patients and Carers, Palgrave, 2005.
Doherty, B., ‘Paving the Way: the Rise of Direct Action Against Road-Building’, Political
Studies, vol.47, 2, 1999, 275-91.
Doherty, B. et al., ‘Explaining the Fuel Protests’, The British Journal of Politics and
International Relations, 5, 1. 2003.
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