How and Why We Compare

Question 1

comparative politics

Answer 1

• country specific knowledge and generalizable knowledge

- use of comparative method to arrive at general knowledge about the world

Question 2

method of agreement

Answer 2

• compares and contrast cases w/ different attributes, but shared outcomes
• seeks attribute these cases share in common to attribute causality

Question 3

method of difference

Answer 3

• same attributes, different outcomes

- determines causality by finding attribute present when an outcome occurs but is absent when outcome does not

Question 4

correlation

Answer 4

• a measure of observed association

- as ethnic diversity increases, so does likelihood of civil war

Question 5

causality

Answer 5

process or event that produces an observable effect