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Didem Buhari- Gulmez Seckin Baris Gulmez

Explore the significance of comparative studies in political research, including types of comparisons, case selection, and challenges. Learn how to identify variables, design studies, and interpret findings effectively.

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Didem Buhari- Gulmez Seckin Baris Gulmez

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  1. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS PIR 1600 WEEK 15 Didem Buhari-GulmezSeckinBarisGulmez

  2. Why compare? • Do the same things work in the same ways across different contexts? • To make classifications • Hypothesis/theory testing. • To generate new theory.

  3. What/whom to compare? • Individuals (eg. political leaders) • Institutions (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense) • States (China and Japan) • International organizations (EU and NAFTA) • Nongovernmental organizations (Amnesty International and Human Right Watch) • Regions (Asia and Africa) • And more?

  4. Types of comparative studies (N=sample size) • Case-study (single-N) • eg. Change in voting behaviour within a single country • Small-N • eg. The economic policies of the EU and the ASEAN • Large-N (generalizable) • eg. Global Peace Index compares 140 countries

  5. How to compare? (problems) • selection bias • just handpicking three or four cases that appear to confirm our hypotheses and ignoring all the other cases which do not. • false uniqueness • emphasises the specificity of the case, entirely ignoring the general social forces at work. • false universalism • assumes that the theory tested in one country/context, will be equally applicable to other countries

  6. How to compare (Case selection) • 3 types of variables: -dependent -independent - intervening/spurious • The logic of most different systems design is to select cases that are different in most respects and only similar on the key independent variable of interest. • The logic of most similar systems is the opposite.

  7. The most similar systems design • political regime (independent) foreign policy choice (dependent) • Intervening variables: economic situation, demography, geography, political culture etc. • Different in independent, • Similar in intervening variables  eg. Canada and USA

  8. The most different systems design • political regime (independent) foreign policy choice (dependent) • Intervening variables: economic situation, geography, demography, political culture etc. Similar in independent, Different in intervening variables  eg. Turkey and France

  9. Group project • Study question: Does economic development of a country affect gender equality in social life? -identify dependent, independent, and intervening variables -offer two countries for each type of design: themost different systems design and the most similar systems design

  10. Global Peace Index (visionofhumanity.org) • Define the concept ‘Peace’ • What can be the indicators for Peace? • How to measure Peacefulness?(Data collection methods)

  11. GPI • Who might benefit from these findings? • Eg. private companies seeking to invest around the world.

  12. GPI • Do you find these findings reliable? Why? -uncertainty about the data collection methods (surveys? Interviews?)

  13. Exercise • Compare Cambodia and China. • What do indicators tell us? • Is Cambodia more peaceful than China? • Why?

  14. Second Assignment: TAKEHOME • 2 questions: 1 quantitative , 1 on interview • Questions uploaded to moodle on 25th Febr. • Deadline of submission via Turnitin: 17 March

  15. AFTER READING WEEK • Historical Analysis • Core Reading: • C. Hay, Political Analysis: A Critical Introduction (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2002), chap. 4.

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