Political Research: Methods and Practical Skills

by Sandra Halperin, Oliver Heath

Political Methods and Practical Skills, the market leading textbook in political research methods, is essential reading for students taking a module in research methods as part of a politics or international relations degree. Its accessible, step-by-step approach covers the entire research methods process, equipping students with the necessary skills to successfully conduct their own independent study and research.

With coverage of both quantitative and qualitative methods, the book begins by guiding readers on how to come up with a research question, and leads the reader right through to writing up a final report. The book also includes chapters on theory, methodology, and the philosophy of social science, which are fully revised for the third edition to include up-to-date 'real world' examples, such as Gerber and Green's survey on political attitudes or Wantchekon's study on clientelism in Benin. These sections help students to understand essential debates around research methods, as well as sharing practical guidance.

The easy to understand language and straightforward approach of Political Methods and Practical Skills help students get to grips with particularly complex topics relating to epistemological, ontological and mythological research, and quantitative questions such as 'what is data?'.

The third edition reflects key areas of development in the field, such as the increased importance of ethics, and changes in digital research. The book is also enhanced with a range of engaging learning features including chapter summaries, end-of-chapter conclusions and questions, and a guide to further reading, created to reinforce students' understanding of research methods and further explore specific approaches to research.

Genres: Politics, Textbooks, Political Science

528 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2012

Reviews

[Kjell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It does what it is supposed to do. When you are trying to learn about scientific research this book will help you get started. I found the part on textual analysis rather unsatisfactory, but it might help those who are new to this kind of research.

[Rain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent text, a very thorough and structured introduction to the principles of qualitative research, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It took away the wishy-washiness that I was afraid qualitative methods would be characterized by, for a technically rigorous guideline to designing a qualitative research study which was not only practically useful but also intellectually satisfying. I believe this will continue to be a go-to reference text which I turn to for a long time to come.