Qualitative Research in Political Science

This Major Work presents a comprehensively curated collection of key literature, organized into four thematic volumes:

In recent years there has been an explosion of research on qualitative methodology and methods in the social sciences at large, and in the field of Political Science in particular. This work presents a curated collection of key literature on this subject.

VOLUME ONE: BACKGROUNDS, PATHWAYS AND DIRECTIONS IN QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGYIntroduction to Volume IPart One: The Revolt in the US: Alternatives to the Statistical Template The Science in Social Science - Gary King, Robert O. Keohane and Sidney Verba Refocussing the Discussion of Methodology - Henry E. Brady, David Collier and Jason Seawright Studying Cases as Configurations - Charles C. Ragin Aligning Ontology and Methodology in Comparative Politics - Peter A. Hall Case Studies and Policy Relevant Theory - Alexander L. George and Andrew BennettPart Two: Building on and Defending European Traditions: From Verstehen to Practice and Interpretation Interpretation and the Sciences of Man - Charles Taylor Five Misunderstandings about Case Study Research - Bent Flyvbjerg Interpretive Empirical Political Science: What Makes This Not a Subfield of Qualitative Methods - Dvora YanowPart Three: Differentiating Methodological Approaches A Tale of Two Cultures: Contrasting Quantitative and Qualitative Research - James Mahoney and Gary Goertz Qualitative Variations: The Sources of Divergent Methodological Approaches - Kendra L. Koivu and Erie Kimball Damman Relevance and Refinements of Case Studies - Joachim Blatter and Markus HaverlandPart Four: Concept Building as the Analytic Path for Connecting Description and Meaning Extract from "Guidelines for Concept Analysis" - Giovanni Sartori Democracy with Adjectives: Conceptual Innovation in Comparative Research - David Collier and Steve Levitsky Concept Formation in Political Science: An Anti-Naturalist Critique of Qualitative Methodology - Mark Bevir and Asasf KedarPart Five: The Call for Transparency: Rigor and/or Reflexivity in Data Collection/Creation Extract from "Openness in Political Science: Data Access and Research Transparency" - Arthur Lupia and Colin Elman Conclusion: Research Transparency for a Diverse Discipline - Tim Büthe and Alan M. Jacobs VOLUME TWO: CAUSAL REGULARITIES, CROSS CASE COMPARISONS, CONFIGURATIONSIntroduction to Volume IIPart One: Classical Statements on Case Comparisons Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method - Arend Lijphart Research Designs - Adam Przeworski and Henry TeunePart Two: Refinements of Case Comparisons Some Methodological Problems in Comparative Politics - Andrew Murray Faure On Time and Comparative Research - Stefano BartoliniPart Three: Case Selection Insights and Pitfalls: Selection Bias in Qualitative Research - David Collier and James Mahoney The Possibility Principle: Choosing Negative Cases in Comparative Research - James Mahoney and Gary Goertz Case Selection Techniques in Case Study Research: A Menu of Qualitative and Quantitative Options - Jason Seawright and John GerringPart Four: Configurational Approaches Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) as an Approach - Dirk Berg-Schlosser, Gisèle De Meur, Benoît Rihoux and Charles C. Ragin Set Relations in Social Research: Basics Concepts and Fuzzy Sets and Fuzzy-Set Relations - Charles C. Ragin Where to Begin: A Survey of Five Approaches to Selecting Independent Variables for Qualitative Comparative Analysis - Edwin Amenta and Jane D. Poulsen A Coincidence Analysis of a Causal Chain: The Swiss Minaret Vote - Michael Baumgartner and Ruedi Epple Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and Fuzzy Sets: The Agenda for a Research Approach and a Data Analysis Technique - Claudius Wagemann and Carsten Q. SchneiderPart Five: Correlations versus Configurations Forms and Problems of Comparison - Ingo RohlfingVOLUME THREE: MECHANISMS, TEMPORALITY AND WITHIN-CASE ANALYSISIntroduction to Volume IIIPart One: Mechanisms Social Mechanisms: An Introductory Essay - Peter Hedström and Richard Swedberg Mechanisms in the Analysis of Social Macro-Phenomena - Renate Mayntz Context and Causal Mechanisms in Political Analysis - Tulia G. Falleti and Julia F. Lynch The Mother of All Isms: Causal Mechanisms and Structured Pluralism in International Relations Theory - Andrew BennettPart Two: Temporality Not Just What, but When: Timing and Sequence in Political Processes - Paul Pierson Data-Set Observations versus Causal-Process Observations: The 2000 U.S. Presidential Election - Henry Brady Time Will Tell? Temporality and the Analysis of Causal Mechanisms and Processes - Anna Grzymala-Busse Set Diagrams and Qualitative Research - James Mahoney and Rachel Sweet VandrepoelPart Three: Techniques and Practices of Within-Case Analysis Study and Theory in Political Science - Harry Eckstein Case Studies and Theories of Organizational Decision Making - Alexander L. George and Timothy J. McKeown Tracing Causal Mechanisms - Jeffrey T. Checkel Systematic Process Analysis: When and How to Use It - Peter A. Hall In Search of Co-variance, Causal Mechanisms or Congruence? Towards a Plural Understanding of Case Studies - Joachim Blatter and Till Blume Process Tracing and Causal Inference - Andrew Bennett Efficient Process Tracing - Frank Schimmelfennig Turning Observations into Evidence - Derek Beach and Rasmus Brun PedersenVOLUME FOUR: INTERPRETIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACHESIntroduction to volume IVPart One: Meaning-Focused Research Interpreting Interpretivism Interpreting Interpretations: The New Hermeneutics of Public Administration - Colin Hay Integrating Rigor and Relevance in Public Administration Scholarship: The Contribution of Narrative Inquiry - Jennifer Dodge, Sonia M. Ospina and Erica Gabrielle Foldy Symbols - Deborah StonePart Two: Ethnography and Field Methods` Observation, Context, and Sequence in the Study of Politics - Richard F. Fenno, Jr Reflections on Ethnographic Work in Political Science - Lisa Wedeen On Writing Fieldnotes: Collection Strategies and Background Expectancies - Nicholas H. Wolfinger Asking Questions: Techniques for Semistructured Interviews - Beth L. LeechPart Three: Discourse and Metaphor Analysis The Study of Discourse in International Relations: A Critique of Research and Methods - Jennifer Milliken 'Speaking Europe': The Politics of Integration Discourse - Thomas Diez Methodological reflections on discourse analysis - Mark Laffey and Jutta Weldes Supermarkets and Culture Clash: The Epistemological Role of Metaphors in Administrative Practice - Dvora YanowPart Four: Framing and Narrative Analysis Frame-Reflective Policy Discourse - Martin Rein and Donald A. Schön From Policy "Frames" to "Framing": Theorizing a More Dynamic, Political Approach - Merlijn van Hulst and Dvora Yanow Narrative in Political Science - Molly Patterson and Kristen Renwick Monroe Stories for Research - Steven Maynard-Moody and Michael MushenoPart Five: Quality Issues On Improving Qualitative Methods in Public Administration Research - Ralph S. Brower, Mitchel Y. Abolafia and Jered B. Carr Reflexivity in Research on Civil Society: Constructivist Perspectives - Cecelia Lynch