John B. Williamson

The Research Imagination: COMPARATIVE RESEARCH METHODS

INTRODUCTION In contrast to the chapters on survey research, experimentation, or content analysis that described a distinct set of skills, in this chapter, a variety of comparative research techniques are discussed. What makes a study comparative is not the particular techniques employed but the theoretical orientation and the sources of data. All the tools of the social scientist, including historical analysis, fieldwork, surveys, and aggregate data analysis, can be used to achieve the goals of comparative research. So, there is plenty of room for the research imagination in the choice of data collection strategies. There is a wide divide between quantitative and qualitative approaches in comparative work. Most studies are either exclusively qualitative (e.g., individual case studies of a small number of countries) or exclusively quantitative, most often using many cases and a cross-national focus (Ragin, 1991:7). Ideally, increasing numbers of studies in the future will use both traditions, as the skills, tools, and quality of data in comparative research continue to improve. In almost all social research, we look at how social processes vary and are experienced in different settings to develop our knowledge of the causes and effects of human behavior. This holds true if we are trying to explain the behavior of nations or individuals. So, it may then seem redundant to include a chapter in this book specifically dedicated to comparative research methods when all the other methods discussed are ultimately comparative.

The Research Imagination: THEORY AND METHOD

INTRODUCTION In Chapter 1, the scientific method was described as a process that contains theory and the testing of hypotheses or hunches suggested by the theory. Indeed, in all of the various social science disciplines, and no matter what method of data collection is employed, theory is used as a guide in the collection and analysis of data. Moreover, in many studies where the researcher does not begin with a thoroughly defined theory, we can create theory by searching through the data for recurring patterns of behavior. The application of social theory to research is one of the prime areas for the use of the research imagination. This chapter explains the relationship between theory and methods in detail. It describes the various forms that theory may take. It compares and contrasts research that is designed to verify existing theory with studies that are designed to create new theory. Then, the source of research ideas or how researchers decide what to study is discussed. Finally, the idea of research as a “craft,” or set of related skills that can be practiced and learned, is introduced. THEORY AND SOCIAL RESEARCH There are numerous options open to the investigator in choosing a theoretical perspective. Moreover, the many different kinds of social theory vary in terms of the specific concepts they contain, how complete or well articulated they are and in the way they are expressed on paper, with words or diagrams.