Political Science Research in Practice

Elizabeth Smith editor Akan Malici editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:14th Aug '18

Should be back in stock very soon

This paperback is available in another edition too:

Political Science Research in Practice cover

Nothing rings truer to those teaching political science research methods: students hate taking this course. Tackle the challenge and turn the standard research methods teaching model on its head with Political Science Research in Practice. Akan Malici and Elizabeth S. Smith engage students first with pressing political questions and then demonstrate how a researcher has gone about answering them, walking them through real political science research that contributors have conducted. Through the exemplary use of a comparative case study, field research, interviews, textual and interpretive research, statistical research, survey research, public policy and program evaluation, content analysis, and field experiments, each chapter introduces students to a method of empirical inquiry through a specific topic that will spark their interest and curiosity. Each chapter shows the process of developing a research question, how and why a particular method was used, and the rewards and challenges discovered along the way. Students can better appreciate why we need a science of politics—why methods matter—with these first-hand, issue-based discussions.

The second edition now includes:

  • Two completely new chapters on field experiments and a chapter on the textual/interpretative method.

  • New topics, ranging from the Arab Spring to political torture to politically sensitive research in China to social networking and voter turnout.

  • Revised and updated "Exercises and Discussion Questions" sections.

  • Revised and updated "Interested to Know More" and "Recommended Resources" sections.
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'Most methodology books focus on the dry nuts and bolts of empirical inquiry, and often fail to provide an engaging pedagogical context for undergraduates. This book is different. By embedding methodological discussions within the context of important substantive questions, this volume conveys the science of politics in action. I only wish that such a book were available when I was a student.'—Howard Lavine, Arleen C. Carlson Professor of Political Science, University of Minnesota

'Malici and Smith do two things we rarely see in research methods texts: they cover the rich, broad spectrum of empirical approaches in the discipline and they convey these techniques through first-hand examples. The result is a book that is engaging, accessible, and uniquely valuable to political science students and instructors.'—Francis Neely, Associate Professor, San Francisco State University

‘The timely update of Malici and Smith's book helps students understand how political scientists investigate real-world problems using a full spectrum of methodological tool set. It continued the previous edition's one-of-a-kind storytelling approach that makes political science research approachable, relevant, and even fun. It will be welcomed by both teachers and students of political science research methods alike.’— Yi Edward Yang, Professor of Political Science, James Madison University

ISBN: 9781138301344

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 440g

226 pages

2nd edition