Week 1 Lecture

Question 1

What is the process of research? (9 steps)

Answer 1

Existing knowledge –> Research question and research goal –> theory development –> choice of research methodology –> conceptualization and operationalization –> selection of cases and variables to observe –> data collection –> data analysis –> inferences and conclusions –> existing knowledge

Question 2

What is normative research?

Answer 2

concerns the values, norms, morals, what should be; based in political theory

examples: what is a just society, what do we want as citizens from our government, what should the government/specific actors do

Question 3

What is positive research?

Answer 3

questions of how the world is and why it is the way it is

examples: why do people decide to vote for the candidates or parties they vote for, why are some public organizations better able to reach their objectives than others?

Question 4

What are the three major research goals within positive research?

Answer 4

1: descriptive
2: predictive
3: explanatory

Question 5

What is descriptive research?

Answer 5

how is the world

examples: public opinion surveys, do people trust their government, what are the policy priorities of people of a certain age, how many organizations are led by political appointees vs. led by professional civil servants

Question 6

What is predictive research?

Answer 6

what will the world be like

examples: who will win the election, what will the turnout be, what will be the variation in turnout, if we introduce an intervention, what happens?

Question 7

What is explanatory research?

Answer 7

why are things the way they are; notion of causality

examples: how do things work, what is the effect of this on that, what is the effect of weather patterns on voter turnout

Question 8

What is prescriptive research?

Answer 8

normative research; what ought to be

Question 9

What is positive research?

Answer 9

studies the relationship between concepts and empirical facts

Question 10

What is positive political theory? Give an example

Answer 10

relationships between theoretical concepts without direct reference to empirical fact or value judgements

examples: principal-agent theories, Arrow’s theorem

Question 11

What is a conditional prediction?

Answer 11

a prediction that is conditional on a certain policy or program or event taking place

Question 12

Define inference

Answer 12

saying something about the whole through observation of only a part

Question 13

What is double causal inference

Answer 13

what worked in case 1 and how would it then work in case 2?

Question 14

Define theory

Answer 14

a collection of interrelated abstract concepts and ideas about a phenomenon of interests

Question 15

Define explanatory theories

Answer 15

provide explanations of general patterns and individual facts of the social and political worlds

Question 16

Define normative political theory

Answer 16

deals with values, normative judgements

example: Rawl’s theory of justice

Question 17

Define (pure) positive theory

Answer 17

only examines relationships between concepts

Question 18

Define hypothesis

Answer 18

empirical implications of the theory that logically follow from theoretical arguments

Question 19

Define causal mechanism

Answer 19

reveals the logic behind the hypothesis and explains how the theory is supposed to work