
Exercises for: Social science concepts and measurement: new and completely revised edition (Princeton 2020) and Multimethod research, causal mechanisms, and case studies: an integrated approach (Princeton 2017) and A tale of two cultures: qualitative and quantitative research in the social sciences (Princeton 2012) and Politics, gender, and concepts: theory and methodology (Cambridge 2008) and Explaining war and peace: case studies and necessary condition counterfactuals (Routledge 2007) Version 5 (Summer 2021) Gary Goertz University of Notre Dame [email protected] Introduction The main update for version 5 this year deals with the connected set of issues regarding causal mechanisms, causal mechanism figures, two-way tables as well as a new project with Steph Haggard dealing with what we call LNQA (Large-N Qualitative Analysis). These are all in some way continuation of a discussion on causal mechanisms, generalization, case studies and causal complexity initiated in the (2017) multimethod book. This is also related to a new project The Veil of Ignorance Process Tracing (VoiPT) methodology (see the symposium Copestake, J., G. Goertz, and S. Haggard. 2020. Qualitative & Multi-Method Research). Part of the goal of the methodology is to identify causal mechanisms and give them graphical expression. In addition, I am working a lot on external validity, generalization, and extrap- olation in a variety of directions. This is a core part of the motivation of the LNQA project, the issue of the generalizability of case studies. This is absolutely central to applied policy analysis and a core issue in deciding how generalizable experiments are and there is a section devoted to this. A number of exercises deal with the very problematic idea of “representative” cases. Particularly noteworthy are the fairly large number of exercises dealing with two-way tables. So there is now a separate section dealing with two-way tables. As part of the LNQA project we have surveyed a large number of qualitative books published by Princeton and Cornell (see the attached paper for an updated version). It will come as no surprise that many of them contain two a tables. Working through them it became clear that there are a variety of methodological issues that are not discussed at all because the methodology of two-way tables apparently seems easy and straightforward. This is definitely not the case and some of the exercises point to issues that must faced by all constructing two-way tables. Similarly, a recurrent question and reading these qualitative books and looking at these two a tables as well as figures is how they might be expressed as Boolean equations. Hence QCA section has a large number of new exercises dealing with expressing a theory in Boolean terms. Numerous times when reading the theory chapter I would ask how that might cast as Boolean equation(s). As a new standard I think one should be able to connect two-way tables to causal mechanism figures to Boolean equations with them all being consistent. Currently this is far from the case. So many of exercises in the causal mechanism, two-way table, and Boolean models overlap. Note that an exercise can appear in multiple sections if it is relevant to more than one topic. The fourth version represented a pretty massive update to the exercises. I have completely rewritten and expanded my concept book (September 2020).1 This was in part motivated by exercises that I had developed over the years. As a result, there are dozens of new exercises that cover old as well as a lot of new material in the concept book. The book has much more on measurement and quantification of concepts and that is reflected in sections on scaling and aggregation. 1https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691205489/social-science-concepts-and-measurement 1 The book also focuses on the massive industry of global indices, indexes, and barometers. A lot of this occurs in the international policy space regarding eco- nomic development, governance. International institutions like the World Bank, the European Union, United Nations, as well as many NGOs produce complex multi- level concepts and measures that are the focus of the concept book. New exercises deal with this large and expanding industry. I have long been interested in the connection between concept analysis and gender. Gender critiques of existing literature often start with an analysis of gender biases of core concepts. Early work on this resulted in the anthology edited with Amy Mazer published by Cambridge in 2008. In the new concept and measurement book gender is an important theme. Therefore, I’ve created a new section dealing with gender issues in concepts in particular, but also methodology more generally. A big update to these exercises, version 3, occurred when Multimethod research, causal mechanisms, and case studies: an integrated approach was published by Princeton University Press (August 2017).2. In addition to multimethod research it covers, multiple (or comparative) case study research, using case studies to systematically test hypotheses. I have included new sections below. “Case studies, case selection” deals with selecting cases for multiple case study or multimethod research. “Multi- method research” includes not only the most common statistical analyses plus case studies, but also game theory multimethod defined as a formal model plus case studies (a whole chapter of the book is devoted to this). As the book title indicates causal mechanisms are absolutely central and hence there is a new section treating this topic. I have created categories which span all of these projects. In general there is no specific indication which book is being referred to, and in many cases an exercise could easily apply to multiple books. However, if the exercise deals with concepts it is likely to be the Social science concepts and measurement. If is on case selection it could be any of them except the Case studies and necessary condition counterfactuals book. If in contrast, it is about within-case causal explanations of World War I or the end of the Cold War then it is likely to be the Explaining war and peace book. Answers to these exercises (except those that are open-ended and those that I think would be interesting but have not yet had the time to do) are included as well. If you would like to be informed when these exercises are updated please contact me and I will put you on the email list ([email protected]). Most of the articles and book chapters referred to in the following exercises are available in pdf format and complete references are found at the end. If possible I have chosen an electronically available article rather than a book. Some of the exercises work well in more than one section and hence an exercise may appear more than once. As always, I welcome comments on these exercises and suggestions for new ones. 2http://press.princeton.edu/titles/11191.html 2 Table of contents New exercises – All new exercises since the previous edition. p. 5 Concepts – General issues of concept construction, guidelines, and specific concepts. – p. 27 Semantic transformations, calibration – Issues of semantic meaning, transformations, and creating continuous measures – p. 54 Terminology, definitions, and semantics – Issues of semantics, meaning, definitions, word- ing, etc. – p. 60 Scaling – Scaling issues, scale types, – p. 63 Concept structure and aggregation – Weakest link, best shot, mean, hybrid, family resem- blance, etc. – p. 75 Typologies – mutually exclusive, exhaustive rules, (partially)ordered, etc. – p. 95 Latent variable statistical models – methodological features of and specific latent variables – p. 98 Normative issues – normative issues in concept construction – p. 102 Global indices, barometers, etc. – global indicators and barometers, popular with NGOs, UN, EU, OECD, etc. – p. 104 Gender – gender and concepts, research design, etc. – p. 105 Case studies, case selection – case selection comparative case studies, multimethod case selection, case study methodology issues – p. 112 The Possibility Principle – case selection comparative case studies and statistical analyses, focusing on population and negative case selection – p. 118 Multimethod research – multimethod research issues of all sorts – p. 134 Theories and concepts, e.g., two-level theories – complex concepts in complex theories – p. 141 Causal issues, causal hypotheses, causal asymmetry, etc. – causation, causal inference, etc. – p. 151 Causal mechanisms – causal complexity, causal mechanism figures, methodology and philosophy of – p. 163 Constraint mechanisms – necessary conditions, norms, permissive causes, etc. – p. 175 Process tracing, within case causal inference, counterfactuals – causal inference in indi- vidual cases, process tracing methodology, counterfactual methodology, etc. – p. 177 Large-N Qualitative Analysis (LNQA) – generalization using serial within-case causal inference p. 187 3 Generalization, external validity, scope, etc. – generalization, extrapolation, etc. – p. 189 Two-way tables – construction and analysis, Boolean and linear equations structures – p. 161 QCA, Boolean theories, fuzzy logic – Boolean expression of theories, necessary and suffi- cient conditions, set theoretic methodology – p. 194 4 New exercises New exercises also appear in the relevant sections below. 1. Campbell et al. (2021) develop a concept and measure of “personal secu- larism” in their study of secularism in American politics. Draw the basic framework figure this three level concept. Assign the questions
Details
-
File Typepdf
-
Upload Time-
-
Content LanguagesEnglish
-
Upload UserAnonymous/Not logged-in
-
File Pages237 Page
-
File Size-