Chapter 8

1. In what ways are case studies better than quantitative studies?

First, case studies do something large, while quantitative cannot. They can help to
generate new hypotheses. Furthermore, case study research can be used to illuminate
particular narratives that are not visible to the quantitative research.
2. What are the three main purposes of case study design?
First, historic in which it focuses study on a historical event. Second, interpretive aims
to deepen our understanding of a particular concept or idea. Third, Empirical
constitutes an attempt to test competing hypotheses.
3. According to Flyvbjerg, why do some researchers express doubt on case studies
constituting a scientific method?
Because they contain a bias towards verification and a reinforcement of an aauthors
preconceptions on the case.
4. What are the five common strategies for case selection? Explain each one briefly with
examples.
First, least-likely case study is the most commonly used strategy for case selection in
case study research and it is useful when you are confronted with a theoretical claim
that seems to have some explanatory power. For example, social constructivist
literature on norms explaining state behaviour, and applied to a hard case, such as
security, which has traditionally been dominated by realism thought.
Second, most-similar case comparisons involves selecting cases that are almost
identical in all but one independent variable, but do not share the same dependent
variable and test for whether or not the one divergent independent variable accounts
for divergent outcomes. For example, comparative study of the Fashoda crisis, a crisis
between two democracies.
Third, least similar case comparisons involves selecting cases that share only a single
independent variable and test for whether or not that variable accounts for a shared
dependent variable. For example, scholars applied democratic peace theory findings
form modern states to pre-modern societies and found similar outcome.
Fourth, the combined cross case and over-time comparison requires you to select
multiple cases and compare them across different points in time. This design allows
you to generate more cases out of few. For example, scholars studied the foreign
policy of three states before and after revolution.

 Fifth, deviant cases are those cases that do not conform to theoretical expectations,
and your task is to understand why. These are cases that are dis-confirmatory or a
specific theoretical conjecture. It can be powerful tool for generating new hypotheses
and uncovering new variables. For example, the democratic peace theory, which holds
that no two democracies will go to war with each other.
5. What is process-tracing? What are its use?
Process-tracing is a widely used qualitative analysis technique that helps illuminate
how variables interact with each other. Process-tracing can be used to highlight causal
mechanisms or causal pathways. In short, process-tracing allows you to also explore
what causal mechanisms brought about a particular outcome in your case study, and
thus provide deeper explanatory insight for the reader.
Chapter 7
Quantitative and qualitative research are complementary approaches that both attempt to
advance cumulative knowledge about the world around us. This perspective sees quantitative
and qualitative research as complementary. If we look at qualitative research we can see that
it is effective in demonstrating correlations between variables, but is weak in illuminating
casual processes. Thus, using quantitative methods to demonstrate a relationship exists
between two variables, then using qualitative methods to uncover the underlying casual
process would generate a much more complete understanding of the how these variables
interact. The combination of quantitative data on transfers combined with a qualitative
analysis of the discourse of actors involved in the transfer process can provide deeper
understanding of how this process plays out.
Advantages
The use of mixed method research provides a number of advantages, namely:
Provides strengths that offset the weaknesses of both quantitative and qualitative
research. For instance, quantitative research is weak in understanding the context or
setting in which people behave, something that qualitative research makes up for. On
the other hand, qualitative research is seen as deficient because of the potential for
biased interpretations made by the researcher and the difficulty in generalizing
findings to a large group. Quantitative research does not have these weaknesses. Thus,

by using both types of research, the strengths of each approach can make up for the
weaknesses of the other.
Provides a more complete and comprehensive understanding of the research problem
than either quantitative or qualitative approaches alone.
Provides an approach for developing better, more context specific instruments. For
instance, by using qualitative research it is possible to gather information about a
certain topic or construct in order to develop an instrument with greater construct
validity, i.e., that measures the construct that it intends to measure.
Helps to explain findings or how causal processes work.
Chapter 6
Quantitative methods refer to data collection and analysis strategies where numeric data is
collected in order to determine whether or not a relationship exists between two or more
variables. Qualitative research is often argued to follow an inductive logic while quantitative
research is argued to be deductive
1. What are the advantages of quantitative methods?
First, data aggregation uses in quantitative methods allow us to engage with large
amounts of data. Whether gathered through questionnaires or surveys, or coded into
large datasets, quantitative methods provides us with the tools to interpret large bodies
of data. The second is specificity which allows for the researcher to be explicit about
assumptions and relationships. The third advantage is transparency in which it allows
researcher to be explicit about coding choices to the underlying logic of our
arguments and how we arrive at our conclusion. Fourth, causal inference can assist in
understanding the relationship between variables. Lastly, theory and hypotheses
testing permits the researcher to test theories and hypotheses against data.
Random sampling means that every potential respondent within your target population has an
equal chance of being selected for participation in your survey or questionnaire. One strategy
is opportunistic sampling, where a researcher takes advantage of their existing network to
facilitate the distribution of surveys or questionnaires. On the one hand, snowball sampling
refers to strategy to access human subjects during the course of field research that has the
researcher rely on the first individuals you meet during the course of your research to
introduce you to other potential research participants.
2. List five common types of survey questions and scales? Explain each one briefly

 First, nominal questions refers to a type of survey questions which generates

responses that are categorical. They are closed-ended questions with a menu of
categories provided to the respondent to choose from. For example, what is your
gender? Male/Female
Second, ordinal questions require the respondent to provide a ranking for a series of
response. Example, please rank the following the Department of International Studies
in terms of effectiveness. 1 being the department of international studies which most
effectively while 4 being the least effective.
Third, multiple choice questions: this type of question you are likely already familiar
with from multiple choice examinations. Example, your position in your organization
is: (a) intern, (b) assistant office manager, (c) office manager, (d) director
Fourth, interval questions ask respondent to place themselves in a particular class of
responses. Example, what is your average grade? Less than 60%, 60%-69%, 70%79%, 80%-89%,90%-100%
Fifth, scales allow researcher to determine the intensity of preference among
respondent. The most common form of scale question is the Likert scale, which asks
respondents to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with a given
statement.
3. List five guidelines that will help you through the process of questionnaire survey.
First, it is essential to ensure you have secured the informed consent of your research
participants. Second, it is important you carefully think about how you will pose your
question and what kinds of responses, and by extension what kind of data, you aim to
collect. Different kind of survey questions include: nominal questions, ordinal
questions, multiple choices, interval questions, and scales. Third, you should also take
into account that distributing questionnaires and survey is time intensive, potentially
expensive, and does not always result in the collection of enough data to allow for you
to effectively conduct a meaningful data analysis. Fourth, designing you own survey
and questionnaires has the benefit of allowing you to design your questions
specifically around your own project, conducting a survey or questionnaire can be a
time-consuming endeavor and there is no guarantee that potential participants will
prove willing to participate. Fifth, in the event you have decided to conduct your own
survey or questionnaire, you should pay careful attention to survey design. Welldesigned surveys are more likely to generate responses as respondents can complete
them with ease.

4. List three factors that you should take into account when proofreading your
questionnaires before distributing your survey.
First, make sure that each question contains only one question. This means do not ask
two questions within a single question. Second, make sure your questions are not
overly ambiguous and your likely respondents have requisite knowledge needed to
respond. Third, where appropriate, provide respondents with the option of responding
with dont know / prefer not to say.
Chapter 5
Qualitative methods refer broadly to data collection and analysis strategies that rely upon the
collection of, and analysis of, non-numeric data. Qualitative methods are used in order to
better understand how we make sense of the world around us, and as such require us to focus
on meanings and processes that make up international politics. Often this is done through indepth studies of particular events, phenomena, regions, countries, organizations, or
individuals.
Interviews normally are sub-divided into three different categories. These are
structured, semi-structured, and unstructured. First, structured interviews are an
interview format in which the individual administering the interview keeps strictly to
a script of questions and the respondent is asked to select from a pre-determined menu
of response opinions. Second, semi-structured interview is an interview format that is
commonly used because it allows the researcher to pose their questions, but also to
ask follow-up questions that reflect the interview participants responses. Third,
unstructured interview is an interview format that is more analogous to a
conversation. The researcher will at the beginning prompt a conversation on a given
topic, but then allows the conversation to evolve naturally.