Political Science
The study of who gets what, when, and how.
Comparative Politics
The study of the similarities/differences in political developments among two or more countries.
Method of Agreement
A way of comparing cases with the same outcome, but different attributes within the country.
Method of Difference
A way of comparing cases with the same attributes within the country, but different outcomes.
Scientific Method Steps
- Question- Theory- Experiment/gather evidence- Test- Analyze - Iterate/replicate
Experimental Approach
Randomized study in which an experimental and a control group are compared using statistical methods
Quantitative Approach
Large-n study in which several "cases" (> 30) are compared using statistical methods
Qualitative Approach
Small-n study which uses a few, carefully selected cases to compare outcomes and causal processes
Comparative Method
A way to examine patterns of facts or events to narrow down what is important in terms of building a convincing argument. This is broken down into two methods: agreement and difference.
John Stuart Mill
method of agreement/difference
Independent Variable
a variable whose variation does not depend onanother and is often used to explain variation in another variable
Dependent Variable
a variable whose variation depends upon or can be explain by another variable
Challenges to Political Science Arguments
- Falsifiability (easily proven wrong)- Case Selection (non-diverse/cherry picking)- Spurious Correlation (correlation /= causation)- Omitted Variables (specify casual mechanism)- Reverse Causation (goes both ways)
To answer questions convincingly, you must
1 Select your cases carefully2 Test falsifiable hypotheses with evidence3 Specify your causal story
The worst arguments are...
- opinions based on stereotypes - belief that the past predicts the future- generalizations drawn from specific facts