The Research Process in the Discipline of Politics by Renske Doorenspleet

1. The Research Processin the Discipline of Politicsby Renske Doorenspleet

2. What is a research design? • Definition:first step in research process, the logical structure and plan of research project • Function:to ensure that the evidence obtained enables us to answer the initial question as clearly as possible. (see also De Vaus 2001: Chapter 1)

3. Three basic questions of a research design • Whatwill be studied ? • Whywill it be studied ? • Howwill it be studied ? (see also Blaikie 2005: Chapter 1-2)

4. Contents of this lecture • (A)What? Research topics and question • (B) Why? Relevance and puzzle • (C) How? The research process • (D) How? Your research strategy • (E)overview of this research module

5. (A) What will be studied? • ethnic identity, British politics, terrorism, democracy, social policy, war and conflict, AIDS, Sri Lanka, education, development aid, global warming, justice, United Nations, gender, Chile, international trade, Africa, ideology, welfare state • See newspapers and journals for topics! Academic research has infinite number of topics ↔ applied research is limited

6. (A) What will be studied? Types of research questions: • What?  descriptions • Why?  explanations • How?  change / mechanisms

7. (A) What will be studied? Role of research questions • organization, direction and coherence • boundaries • focus • framework • link with needed methods and data (see also Punch 2005: Chapter 3)

8. (A) What will be studied? Criteria of good research questions • clear • answerability • interconnectedness • substantially relevant (seealso Punch 2005: Chapter 3)

9. (B) Why will it be studied? • personal (curiosity & career, taste & training) • academic (literature, theory, models) • social (people, politics and policy)

10. Design of data collection instrument Data specification Pilot study Problem formulation Sample design Design of final data collection instrument Data collection Coding and checking Data analysis Design of final sample (C) How will it be studied? The linear model (see also Burnham et al. 2004: p. 43)

11. (D) How will it be studied? but… research is a seamless web without a clear order and without a defined beginning or end (Mann 1981)

12. (D) How will it be studied? The research wheel Theory Research Questions Concepts New theory Case Selection Data analysis Data collection (see also Burnham et al. 2004: p. 46. de Vaus 2001: p.8)

13. (D) How will it be studied? Elements of the research process • Topic / problem • research questions and objectives • research strategies • theories (and hypotheses and models) • concepts (and measurements) • case selection • data collection and selection • data analyses • conclusion • with answers to research question • strengths and weaknesses of own research • implications for existing knowledge • direction for future research • Writing and publication of the research report (see also Blaikie 2005: p. 33)

14. (D) How will it be studied? Types of research designs and yourresearchstrategy • Experimental design • Racial Discrimination in England by W. Daniel, Penguin, 1968 • Cross-sectional analysis • Political Choice in Britain by Clarke, Sanders, Stewart, and Whiteley, Oxford University Press, 2004 • Longitudinal design • Political Change in Britain by David Butler and Donald Stokes, Macmillan, 1974 • Case study design • The Politics of Accommodation. Pluralism and Democracy in the Netherlands, by Arend Lijphart, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968 • Comparative design • Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms & Performance in Thirty-six Countries. by Arend Lijphart, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999 (see also Burnham et al. 2004, chapter 2 and Bryman 2004, Chapter 2)

15. (D) How will it be studied? • Experimental design : RacialDiscrimination • What → Research Question: • Is there racial discrimination in the employment and housing markets, • and if so, to what extent? • Why →Research Relevance: • First experimental research on racial discrimination in Britain in the 1960s • How→Research Strategy: experimental design • Daniel employed African-Caribbean, Hungarian and English actors, • all claiming the same qualifications and references, to apply for jobs. • Publication of research: • RacialDiscrimination in England by W. Daniel, Penguin, 1968

16. (D) How will it be studied? • Cross-sectional analysis : Political Choice in Britain • What → Research Question: • How can voting behaviour during the British elections 2001 be explained? • Why →Research Relevance: • Understanding and explaining voting behaviour during elections of 2001 • How→Research Strategy: cross-sectional analysis • National random sample of the electorate interviewed • during general elections of 2001 • Publication of research: • Political Choice in Britain by Clarke, Sanders, Stewart, and Whiteley, • Oxford University Press, 2004

17. (D) How will it be studied? • Longitudinal panel design : Political change in Britain • What → Research Question: • How can changes in voting behaviour be explained? • Why →Research Relevance: • The most detailed study of British voting behaviour to that date • How→Research Strategy: Longitudinal panel study • National random sample of the electorate interviewed over the course of • five general elections, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1974 (Feb & Oct) • Publication of research: • Political Change in Britain by David Butler and Donald Stokes, • Macmillan, 1974

18. (D) How will it be studied? • Case study design : Divided Society and Democratic Politics • What → Research Question: • How to explain that countries with deeply divided societies along ethnic, religious, ideological, or other cleavages can have stable democratic regimes at the same time? • Why →Research Relevance: • Understand ‘odd’ Dutch case which combined stable democracy • with a heavily divided society • How→Research Strategy: case study design • Lijphart focused only on the Netherlands in the 1960s • (country with stable democracy and divided society). • Publication of research: • The Politics of Accommodation. Pluralism and Democracy in the Netherlands, by Arend Lijphart, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968. • .

19. (D) How will it be studied? • Comparative design : Divided Society and Democratic Politics • What → Research Question: • Do some forms of democracies perform better than other forms? • Why →Research Relevance: • Explore whether consensus democracies perform • better than majoritarian types of democracies • How→Research Strategy: Comparative design • Lijphart compared 36 established democracies • Publication of research: • Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms & Performance in Thirty-six Countries, by Arend Lijphart, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999

20. (D) How will it be studied? Doing your own research: some additional advice • Try to be original • not copied, not imitated or translated from anything else • novel, independent, critical thinking • But don’t try to be a genius • Review of Wittgenstein’s thesis: ‘This is work of a genius. It is also up to the standard required for a Cambridge PhD’

21. (D) How will it be studied? Doing your own research: some additional adviceCriteria original research • Build on existing studies:do not reinvent the wheel • Open to change direction • Think critically about own approach • Add something • concept • methods • third variable • new data • combine theories etc • Think about implications for future research (see also Silverman 2005: Chapter 5)

22. (E) Overview of research module • Week 4: role of theory • Week 5: data collection • Week 7: concepts and measurements • Week 8: quantitative research • Week 9: qualitative research • Week 10: mixing methods • Spring term: some specific methods