Comparative Methods: training workshop

The Nottingham team belonging to the Midlands Graduate School ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership. One of 6 University members of a midlands-based consortium, managing ESRC funded studentships.

ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership

<DIV>Delivered by: Professor Todd Landman, Professor of Political Science, Pro Vice-Chancellor Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nottingham</DIV>
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<H4 CLASS="MsoNormal">WORKSHOP AIMS</H4>
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The object of this workshop is to give participants a comprehensive understanding of comparative methods, illustrated through the extant literature from comparative politics. Participants learn the logic of comparative inquiry and comparative research methods, including quantitative variable-oriented comparisons, quantitative and qualitative case-oriented comparisons, and ideographic single case-studies, the discussion of which focuses on larger questions of explanation and understanding in social and political science.
This methodological framework is applied to classic topics in comparative politics and international relations, including economic development and democracy, political violence and revolution, social movements, institutional design and democratic performance, human rights and modern slavery, and the overlap between comparative politics and international relations.
 
<H4 CLASS="MsoNormal">WORKSHOP STRUCTURE</H4>
This is a 1-day intensive workshop across five sessions divided between formal lecture and in-depth discussion of current research projects being undertaken by participants. The suggested readings combine chapters from Landman and Carvalho (2017) Issues and Methods in Comparative Politics (London: Routledge) with classic readings in comparative politics.
 
<H5 CLASS="MsoNormal">Session 1: The purpose of comparison, how to compare, and problems of comparison</H5>
What are the key research puzzles that motivate comparative political scientists? How does the comparison of many, few, and single countries give us answers to these important questions? What are the different methods of comparison available to us? What kind of political questions and problems have motivated you to study comparative politics? How can comparative method help us explain and understand observed political phenomena in the world? What analytical leverage is added by comparing one country to another, a few countries together, or many countries at once? How can comparative method help generate, clarify, and falsify important theories and propositions of political science? What have been the key areas of interest for comparativists? How, for example, can we compare France to Italy, Britain to the United States, or Germany to the Netherlands? Are there enough common features among these countries to make comparison meaningful? What is the trade-off between the level of conceptual abstraction and the scope of countries under study? What comparative strategy is best to answer the main research question? What are the different strengths and weaknesses to the comparison of many countries, few countries, and single-country studies? What are the main differences between Most Similar and Most Different Systems Design? How are single-country studies comparative? What are the main methodological problems associated with comparative methods? Are we selective in the number and kind of cases we compare? Does the choice of cases lead to tautology? How far can political science concepts be 'stretched' to fit the number of cases being investigated?
 
<H5 CLASS="MsoNormal">Session 2: Comparing many countries </H5>
Does raising the number of cases increase the validity of our comparisons? Can we generate and test 'universal' propositions about observed political phenomena at a global level of analysis? What are the particular challenges associated with this kind of analysis? How does adding time complicate the comparison of many countries?
 
<H5 CLASS="MsoNormal">Session 3: Comparing few countries </H5>
What are the advantages of comparing a small number of countries? How do we guarantee enough variation across this type of sample? Can comparative method bring area studies back in? How is history data? Can we bridge the gap between qualitative and quantitative approaches? How does the comparison of non-variant cases help build theory?
 
<H5 CLASS="MsoNormal">Session 4: Single-country studies as comparison </H5>
How is the single-country study comparative? Can a 'crucial case' falsify an hypothesis? Can we make general inferences about political phenomena from a single-country study?
 
<H5 CLASS="MsoNormal">Session 5: Learning to Compare, Comparing to Learn</H5>
What are the main themes common across different methods of comparison? Has comparative politics come full circle? Why does strong method and good research design help generate research with impact? What are the limitations of comparative methods? How will you apply what you have learned to your own work?
 
<H5 CLASS="MsoNormal">Suggested Readings:</H5>
<H6 CLASS="MsoNormal">Core Text</H6>
 
Landman, T. and Carvalho, E. (2017) Issues and Methods in Comparative Politics: An Introduction, 4th Edition, London: Routledge.
<H6 CLASS="MsoNormal"> Additional Texts</H6>
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<LI>Eckstein, H. (1975) ‘Case-study and Theory in Political Science’, in F.I.Greenstein and N.S.Polsby (eds) Handbook of Political Science, Vol. 7: Strategies of Inquiry, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 79–137.</LI>
<LI>Faure, A.M. (1994) ‘Some Methodological Problems in Comparative Politics’, Journal of Theoretical Politics, 6(3):307–322.</LI>
<LI>Geddes, Barbara (1990) 'How the Cases You Choose Affect the Answers You Get: Selection Bias in Comparative Politics', Political Analysis, 2: 131-150</LI>
<LI>George, A. L. and Bennett, A. (2005) Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</LI>
<LI>Goertz, G. and Mahoney, J. (2012) A Tale of Two Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences, Princeton: Princeton University Press</LI>
<LI>Gerring, J. (2004) ‘What is a case study and what is it good for?’ American Political Science Review, 98: 341-354.</LI>
<LI>King, G., Keohane, R.O., and Verba, S. (1994) Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press</LI>
<LI>Lichbach, M. (1997) ‘Social Theory and Comparative Politics’, in M.Lichbach and A.Zuckerman (eds), Comparative Politics: Rationality, Culture, and Structure, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 239–276.</LI>
<LI>Lijphart, A. (1971) ‘Comparative Politics and Comparative Method’, The American Political Science Review, 65(3): 682–693.</LI>
<LI>Mahoney, J. (2000) ‘Strategies of Causal Inference in Small-N Analysis’, Sociological Methods and Research, 28 (4): 387-424.</LI>
<LI>Mahoney, J. and Goertz (2004) ‘The Possibility Principle: Choosing Negative Cases in Comparative Research,’ American Political Science Review, 98 (4): 653-669.</LI>
<LI>Pennings, P., Keman, H., and Kleinnijenhuis, J. (2009) ‘Global Comparative Methods,’ in Todd Landman and Neil Robinson (eds) Sage Handbook of Comparative Politics, London: Sage, 35-49.</LI>
<LI>Ragin, C. (2013) The Comparative Method: Moving beyond Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies, Revised Edition, Berkeley: University of California Press.</LI>
<LI>Sartori, Giovanni (1970) 'Concept Misinformation in Comparative Politics,' American Political Science Review, 64: 1033-53.</LI>
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FAQs
 
What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event?
Parking is availble for the Hotel in a car park directly adjacent to the Hotel and will be free for registered delegates. A code will be required, obtainable from the Hotel reception, in order lift the barrier on leaving the car park.

Brailsford Suite, De Vere Orchards Hotel

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Comparative Methods: training workshop

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