Political Research: Methods and Practical Skills

Sandra Halperin, Professor of International Relations, ,Oliver Heath, Professor of Politics, Royal Holloway, University of London

Sandra Halperin, Professor of International Relations, Royal Holloway, University of London

Oliver Heath, Professor of Politics, Royal Holloway, University of London

1. Political ResearchPart I: The Philosophy of Social Science Research2. Forms of Knowledge in the Study of the Social World3. Objectivity and ValuesPart II: How to do Research: An Overview4. Asking Questions: How to Find and Formulate Research Questions5. Finding Answers: Theories and How to Apply Them6. Research Design7. What is Data?Part III: How to do Research in Practice8. Experimental Research9. Comparative Research10. Historical Research11. Surveys12. Interviewing and Focus Groups13. Ethnography and Participant Observation14. Textual Analysis15. Quantitative Analysis: Description and Inference16. Patterns of Association: Bivariate Analysis17. A Guide to Multivariate Analysis