Readings | Qualitative Research: Design and Methods | Political Science

Required Textbooks

Hedstrom, Peter, and Richard Swedberg. Social Mechanisms: An Analytical Approach to Social Theory. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780521593199.

King, Gary, Robert Keohane, and Sidney Verba. Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994. ISBN: 9780691034706.

Yin, Robert. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2002. ISBN: 9780761925538.

Course Readings.
Lec #	Topics	READINGS
1	Social Science as Science	Required Readings Almond, Gabriel, and Stephen Genco. "Clouds, Clocks, and the Study of Politics." World Politics 29, no. 4 (July 1977): 489-522. King, Keohane, Verba. pp. 1-74. Moore, Mark. "Social Science and Policy Analysis." In Ethics, the Social Sciences, and Policy Analysis . Edited by Daniel Callahan, and Bruce Jennings. New York, NY: Springer, 1983, pp. 271-291. ISBN: 9780306411434. Bernard, H. Russell. Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc., 2001, pp. 30-60. ISBN: 0761914048.
2	Forms of "Case-Oriented" Research	Required Readings Lijphart, Arend. "Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method." American Political Science Review 65, no. 3 (1971): 682-693. Eckstein, Harry. "Case Studies and Theory in Political Science." In Handbook of Political Science. Vol. 7. Edited by Fred Greenstein, and Nelson Polsby. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1975, pp. 79-138. ISBN: 9780201026016. Yin. "Introduction." pp. 1-18. Gerring, John. "What Is a Case Study and What Is it Good for?" American Political Science Review 98, no. 2 (May 2004): 341-354. Recommended Readings Abbott, Andrew. "What do Cases do?" In What is a Case? Exploring the Foundations of Social Inquiry. Edited by C. Ragin, and H. Becker. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1992, pp. 53-82. ISBN: 9780521420501. Ragin, Charles. "Turning the Tables: How Case-Oriented Research Challenges Variable-Oriented Research." Comparative Social Research 16 (1997): 27-42.
3	Hypotheses and Arguments in Qualitative Analysis	Required Readings Yin. "Designing Case Studies." pp. 19-33. King, Keohane, Verba. pp. 15-21. Case Example: Allison, Graham. "Conceptual Models of the Cuban Missile Crisis." American Political Science Review 63, no. 3 (1969): 689-718.
4	Defects in Research Design as Plausible Rival Explanations (PREs)	Required Readings Yin. "Designing Case Studies." pp. 19-57. Campbell, Donald T. "Reforms as Experiments." In Quasi-Experimental Approaches: Testing Theory and Evaluating Policy. Edited by James A. Caparaso, and Leslie Roos. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1973, pp. 187-225. ISBN: 9780810104105. Campbell, Donald T., and M. Jean Russo. "Fifteen Validity Issues Affecting All Measures." In Social Experimentation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998, pp. 137-171. ISBN: 9780761904045. Recommended Readings Becker, Howard. Tricks of the Trade: How to Think About Your Research While You're Doing it. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1998, chapters 1 and 2. ISBN: 9780226041230.
5	PREs in the Context of Qualitative Data Collection	Required Readings Yin. "Conducting Case Studies: Collecting the Evidence." pp. 73-97. Denzin, Norman K. "The Sociological Interview." In The Research Act: A Theoretical Introduction to Sociological Methods. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1988, pp. 102-120. ISBN: 9780137743810. Patton, Michael. "Qualitative Interviewing." In Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2001, pp. 380-391. ISBN: 9780761919711. Denzin, Norman K. "Participant Observation." In The Research Act: A Theoretical Introduction to Sociological Methods. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1988, pp. 156-181. ISBN: 9780137743810. Finnegan, Ruth. "Using Documents." In Data Collection and Analysis. Edited by Roger Sapsford, and Victor Jupp. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1997, pp. 138-152. ISBN: 9780761950455. Jupp, Victor. "Documents and Critical Research." In Data Collection and Analysis. Edited by Roger Sapsford, and Victor Jupp. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1997, pp. 298-316. ISBN: 9780761950455. Lustick, Ian S. "History, Historiography, and Political Science: Multiple Historical Records and the Problem of Selection Bias." American Political Science Review 90, no. 3 (September 1996): 605-618. Case Example: Betancur, John J. "The Politics of Gentrification." Urban Affairs Review 37, no. 6 (July 2002): 780-814. Recommended Readings Denzin, Norman K. "Unobtrusive Measures." In The Research Act: A Theoretical Introduction to Sociological Methods. 2nd ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1978, pp. 256-290. ISBN: 9780070163614. Jupp, Victor, and Roger Sapsford, eds. Data Collection and Analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1997, pp. 298-316. ISBN: 9780761950455. Fenno, Richard. "Appendix - Notes on Method: Participant Observation." In Home Style: House Members in Their Districts. Boston, MA: Little, Brown, and Company, 1978, pp. 249-295. Yin. "Conducting Case Studies: Preparing for Data Collection." pp. 57-82.
6	Strategies for Purposeful Case Selection	Required Readings Patton, Michael. "Designing Qualitative Studies." Chapter 5 in Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2001. ISBN: 9780761919711. King, Keohane, Verba. pp. 128-149, and 199-207. Geddes, Barbara. "How the Cases You Choose Affect the Answers You Get: Selection Bias in Comparative Politics." Political Analysis 2 (1990): 131-50. Collier, David, and James Mahoney. "Insight and Pitfalls: Selection Bias in Qualitative Research." World Politics 49 (October 1996): 56-91. Collier, David. "Translating Quantitative Methods for Qualitative Researchers, The Case of Selection Bias." American Political Science Review 89, no. 2 (June 1995): 461-467. Recommended Reading Becker, Howard. Tricks of the Trade: How to Think About Your Research While You're Doing it. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1998, chapter 3. ISBN: 9780226041230.
7	Within-Case Study Analysis I	Required Readings Yin. "Analyzing Case Study Evidence." pp. 109-140. Campbell, Donald T., and M. Jean Russo. "The Qualitative Case Study." In Social Experimentation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998, pp. 287-297. ISBN: 9780761904045. King, Keohane, Verba. "Increasing the Number of Observations." pp. 208-230. Abbott, Andrew. "Sequence Analysis." Annual Review of Sociology 21 (1995): 93-113. Haydu, Jeffrey. "Making Use of the Past: Time Periods as Cases to Compare and as Sequences of Problem Solving." American Journal of Sociology 104, no. 2 (1998): 339-371. Case Example: Layzer, Judith. "The Northern Spotted Owl and the Old-Growth Forest of the Pacific NorthWest." In Sense and Credibility: The Role of Science in Environmental Policymaking. PhD diss., Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Political Science, 1999, pp. 225-313.
8	Within-Case Study Analysis II: Mechanisms as Causation	Required Readings Hedstrom and Swedberg: "Social Mechanisms: An Introductory Essay." pp. 1-31. Shelling, Thomas C. "Social Mechanisms and Social Dynamics." pp. 32-44. Elster, Jon. "A Plea for Mechanisms." pp. 45-73. Hernes, Gudmund. "Real Virtuality." pp. 74-101. Gambetta, Diego. "Concatenations of Mechanisms." pp. 102-124. Boudon, Raymond. "Social Mechanisms without Black Boxes." pp. 172-203. Hedstrom, Peter. "Rational Imitation." pp. 306-328. Petersen, Roger. "Mechanisms and Structures in Comparisons." In Critical Comparisons in Politics and Culture. Edited by John Bowen, and Roger Petersen. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1999, pp. 61-77. ISBN: 9780521653015. Case Example: Laitin, David. "National Revivals and Violence." In Critical Comparisons in Politics and Culture. Edited by John Bowen, and Roger Petersen. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1999, pp. 21-60. ISBN: 9780521653015. Recommended Readings Hedstrom and Swedberg: Cowen, Tyler. "Do Economists Use Social Mechanisms to Explain." pp. 125-146. Stinchcombe, Arthur L. "Monopolistic Competition as a Mechanism." pp. 267-305.
9	Within-Case Study Analysis III: the "New" Process Tracing	Required Readings George, Alexander L., and Timothy J. McKeown. "Case Studies and Theories of Organizational Decision Making." In Advances in Information Processing in Organizations. Vol. 2. Edited by Robert Coulam, and Richard Smith. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1985, pp. 21-58. Bennett, Andrew. "Process Tracing in Case Study Research." Paper presented at the MacArthur Foundation Workshop on Case Study Methods, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (BCSIA), Harvard University, October 17-19, 1997. King, Keohane, Verba. pp. 75-114.
10	Learning from Multiple Case Studies	Required Readings Collier, David. "The Comparative Method: Two Decades of Change." In Comparative Political Dynamics: Global Research Perspectives. Edited by Dankwart Rustow, and Kenneth Erickson. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 1990, pp. 7-31. ISBN: 9780060456733. George, Alexander. "Case Studies and Theory Development: The Method of Structured, Focused Comparison." In Diplomacy: New Approaches in History, Theory, and Policy. Edited by Paul Lauren. New York, NY: Free Press, 1979, pp. 43-68. ISBN: 9780029180709. Lieberson, Stanley. "Small N's and Big Conclusions." In What is a Case? Exploring the Foundations of Social Inquiry. Edited by C. Ragin, and H. Becker. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 1992, pp. 105-118. ISBN: 9780521420501. Case Example: Legro, Jeffrey W. "Military Culture and Inadvertent Escalation in World War II." International Security 18, no. 4 (Spring 1994): 108-142. Recommended Readings Becker, Howard. Tricks of the Trade: How to Think About Your Research While You're Doing it. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1998, chapter 5. ISBN: 9780226041230. Ragin, C., and D. Zaret. "Theory and Method in Comparative Research: Two Strategies." Social Forces 61, no. 3 (March 1983): 731-755. George, Alexander L. "The Role of the Congruence Method in Case Study Research." Paper presented at the 38th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, Toronto, March 18-22, 1997. Bennett, Andrew, and Alexander L. George. "Developing and Using Typological Theories in Case Study Research." Paper presented at the 38th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, Toronto, March 18-22, 1997.
11	Improving Rigor and Credibility	Required Readings Yin. "Conducting Case Studies: Collecting the Evidence." pp. 97-108. Denzin, Norman K. "Strategies of Multiple Triangulation." In The Research Act: A Theoretical Introduction to Sociological Methods. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1988, pp. 235-247. ISBN: 9780137743810. Westie, Frank. "Toward Closer Relations Between Theory and Research: A Procedure and an Example." American Sociological Review 22, no. 2 (April 1957): 149-154. Patton, Michael. "Enhancing the Quality and Credibility of Qualitative Analysis." Chapter 9 in Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2001. ISBN: 9780761919711. Adcock, Robert, and David Collier. "Measurement Validity: A Shared Standard for Qualitative and Quantitative Research." American Political Science Review 95, no. 3 (September 2001): 529-546. Russert, Bruce. "International Behavior Research: Case Studies and Cumulation." In Power and Community in World Politics. San Francisco, CA: W. H. Freeman, 1974. ISBN: 9780716707820. ———. "International Behavior Research: Case Studies and Cumulation." In Approaches to the Study of Political Science. Edited by Michael Hass, and Henry Kariel. Scranton, PA: Chandler Publishing Co., 1970. ISBN: 9780810200227. Recommended Reading Kirk, Jerome, and Marc Miller. Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, 1985, pp. 9-52. ISBN: 9780803924703.
12	Counterfactuals and Evidence	Required Readings Lebow, Richard Ned. "What is So Different about Counterfactuals?" World Politics 52, no. 4 (2000): 550-585. Fearon, James. "Counterfactuals and Hypothesis Testing in Political Science." World Politics 43, no. 2 (January 1991): 169-195. Belkin, Aaron, and Philip Tetlock, eds. Counterfactual Thought Experiments in World Politics: Logical, Methodological, and Psychological Perspectives. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996, chapter 1. ISBN: 9780691027920. Lebow, Richard Ned, and Janice Gross Stein. "Back to the Past: Counterfactuals and the Cuban Missile Crisis." Chapter 5 in Counterfactual Thought Experiments in World Politics: Logical, Methodological, and Psychological Perspectives. Edited by Aaron Belkin, and Philip Tetlock. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996. ISBN: 9780691027920. Singer, J. David. "The Historical Experiment as a Research Strategy in the Study of World Politics." Social Science History 2 (Fall 1977): 1-22.