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Comparative Politics > Comparative Government and Politics - Comparative Methods > Flashcards

Comparative Government and Politics - Comparative Methods Flashcards

1
Q

what is the comparative method

A

the process by which different cases are compared in order to better understand their qualities, and to develop hypotheses, theories, and concepts

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2
Q

what is a methodology

A

the systematic analysis of the methods used in a given field of enquiry. Also used to describe the body of methods used, or the means used to reach a particular set of conclusions

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3
Q

what is a unit of analysis

A

the object of study in comparative politics

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4
Q

what is the level of analysis

A

the level of study in comparative politics, ranging from the macro (political system) level to the micro (individual) level.

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5
Q

what is the case study method

A

a research method involving detailed study of a particular object and the context within which it exists

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6
Q

what is the historical method

A

a research method with multiple cases, focusing on the processes and tracing how they lead to a known outcome

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7
Q

what techniques do case studies use

A
  • reading the academic literature
  • examining primary and secondary sources
  • interviews with participants and other observers in the unit
  • direct observation, either as a ‘fly on the wall’ or as a participant
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8
Q

what is the qualitative method

A

a research method based on studying a few cases within their natural setting, with an emphasis on values, opinions, behaviour, and context

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9
Q

how many cases are used in the qualitative approach

A

a limited number

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10
Q

what does the qualitative method tend to be

A

descriptive rather than predictive

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11
Q

what is aim of the qualitative method

A

to understand the interaction of multiple variables

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12
Q

what is a most similar system

A

a research design based on using cases that are as similar as possible, in effect controlling for the similarities and isolating the causes of differences

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13
Q

what is a most a different system

A

a research design based on using cases that are as different as possible, in effect controlling for the differences and isolating the causes of similarities

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14
Q

what is a correlation

A

a relationship between two or more variables or attributes

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15
Q

what is the regression line

A

the line of best fit in a scatter plot, summarising the relationship between two variables

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16
Q

what are outliers

A

the observations furthest away from the value predicted by the regression line

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17
Q

what is the historical method

A

a research method based on studying cases from the past, often with a focus on their development through time

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18
Q

what is process tracing

A

the study of the sequence of events linking a cause to an effect

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19
Q

what is path dependence

A

the idea that the outcome of a political process dpeends on earlier decisions that lead down a particular path

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20
Q

what is critical juncture

A

a turning point which establishes interests, structures, or institutions persisting through time

21
Q

what is sequencing

A

the idea that the order of events, not merely their occurrence, affects the outcome

22
Q

what is a slow moving cause

A

an influence which changes slowly but, over a long period dramatically

23
Q

what is counterfactual

A

a thought experiment speculating on possible outcomes if a particular factor had been absent from a process, or an absent factor had been present

24
Q

what is selection bias

A

arises when selected cases and variables are unrepresentative of the wider class from which they are drawn

25
Q

what is being generalizable

A

being able to be accurately applied or extended to situations or circumstances other than those originally studied

26
Q

what is the issue of having too few cases and too many variables when conducting comparison

A

having more explanatory factors for a given outcome than there are cases available to study

27
Q

what is the issue of selection bias when conducting comparison

A

the cases selected for study are often an unrepresentative sample, limiting the significance of the findings. The selection may be influenced in particular by survivorship, value, or confirmation bias

28
Q

what is survivorship bias

A

a form of seleciotn bias that crops up when we study only surviving exampels of politicla types, overlooking past examples

29
Q

what is value bias

A

allowing assessments, the choice of facts, and conclusions to be impacted by the values of the researcher

30
Q

what is confirmation bias

A

the tendency to seek out or interpret information that confirms pre-existing beliefs and attitudes, and to ignore information that does not

31
Q

what is globalisation

A

the process by which the links between people, corporations, and governments in different states become integrated through trade, investment, and technology

32
Q

what did Powell say about comparative politics

A

‘comparison is the methodological core of the scientific study of politics’ (Powell et al., 2014)

33
Q

what is the greatest advantage of a single case comparison

A

it offers an in-depth, real-world understanding of a phenomenon, a clearly defined example that helps to illustrate a wider principle

34
Q

what does Yin (2018) say about case studies

A

they should be understood in terms of both their scope and their features

35
Q

what is the quality of a representative case study

A

it is typical of the category

36
Q

what is the quality of a prototypical case study

A

it is expected to become typical

37
Q

what is the quality of an exemplary case study

A

it created the category

38
Q

what is the quality of a deviant case study

A

it is an exception to the rule

39
Q

what is the quality of a critical case study

A

if it works in one place, it will work anywhere

40
Q

what is an example of a representative case study

A

coalition government in finland

41
Q

what is an example of a prototypical case study

A

the advanced use of social media in US election campaign

42
Q

what is an example of an exemplary case study

A

the British parliament

43
Q

what is an example of a deviant case study

A

China as large country that is not a federation

44
Q

what is an example of a critical case study

A

promoting democracy in Afghanistan

45
Q

what is an example of a hypothesis

A
  • the wealthier a country, the more likely it is to sustain a stable democracy
  • the violent end to a dictatorial regime is more likely to bring chaos than democracy
46
Q

what does Lipset (1990) say about the most similar system

A

‘the more similar the units being compared, the more possible it should be to isolate the factors responsible for differences between them’

47
Q

what is another name for the quantitative method

A

large N cases

48
Q

what does the historical method combine

A

both qualitative and quantitative approaches to research, helping to examine the robustness of findings across distinct time periods

Comparative Politics (24 decks)

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