Political Science Research Methods in Action

What are the common challenges that researchers face when designing and performing research? What are the choices and trade-offs that social scientists encounter when seeking to implement a fascinating idea? This volume brings together world-leading scholars from a range of political research methodologies and sub-areas in order to show how they have dealt with these challenges during the research process. Looking at every stage of the research process, Political Science Research Methods in Action showcases common problems that affect diverse research approaches and shows how they were encountered and resolved. Aiming to help researchers – whether new or experienced – to take control of their research, this volume brings the research process to life and shows how actual research is 'done' within the frameworks of core methodological principles that guide research design.

Michael Bruter is Reader in Political Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. He specialises in the study of electoral psychology, research methods, and political behaviour. He currently leads the ERC-funded ECREP initiative in electoral psychology and has published multiple books and articles in the fields of elections, identity, citizens' psychology, and extremist politics.

Martin Lodge is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the London School of Economics, UK. His research interests include executive politics, regulation, and public policy and administration.

1. Introduction: Writer's Block; Michael Bruter and Martin Lodge
PART I: APPROACHING AND MEASURING SOCIAL SCIENCE OBJECTS
2. Measuring the Immeasurable? Capturing Citizens' European Identity; Michael Bruter
3. Decoding Manifestoes and other Political Texts - the Case of Extreme Right Ideology; Sarah Harrison
4. Reaction Time Measures in Implicit Attitudes Research; Brad Verhulst and Milton Lodge
5. Studying Party Choice; Mark Franklin and Maja Renko
6. Into the Archives; Ben Wellings
PART II: MAKING SENSE OF DATA
7. Euro-Visions: An Analysis of Visual Imagery in Television News; Jessica Bain and Natalia Chaban
8. When Access is Restricted: Craftiness and Combining Methods in the Study of a Secretive Elite; Julie Gervais
9. Semi-Structured Interviews and Informal Institutions: Getting Inside Executive Government; Martin Lodge
10. Error-Correction as a Concept and as a Method: Time Series Analysis of Policy-Opinion Responsiveness; Will Jennings
11. Working Backwards? Using Simulation to Sort out Empirical Inconsistencies; Robert Erikson, Aaron Strauss and Michael Bruter
12. Conclusion; Michael Bruter and Martin Lodge