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Summary RMPS Readings
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Detailed notes on chapters 1-17 of the RMPS book
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Research Methods in Political Science
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Introduction to Political Science Research Exam Part 1
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RMPS Readings:Chapter 1- Political Research:
➔ Issues in political research:
◆ Empirical vs. normative research
● empirical → addresses events and political phenomena that we observe in the real world
(what is?); must deal in facts
● normative → poses the question of what ought to be; also concerned about the world as it
is; must deal is values
● not independent of each other although the statements and questions are different
◆ Positivism vs. interpretivism
● positivism → maintains that scientific knowledge of the social world is limited to what
can be observed; we can explain and predict by discovering empirical regularities,
formulation generalisations and establishing causal relationships
● interpretivism → knowledge can be gained through interpreting the meanings which give
people reasons for acting and therefore we can understand human behaviour but not
explain or predict it
● both show the relation between assumptions and conclusions and to indicate the nature of
the relation
◆ Quantitative vs. qualitative research
● quantitative → based on the statistical analysis of carefully coded information for many
cases or observations
● qualitative → based on the discursive analysis of more loosely coded information for just
a few cases
➔ Philosophy of social science - Knowledge and knowing in social science research:
◆ Epistemology → branch of philosophy that studies the nature, sources and limits of knowledge
◆ Ontology → the study of what exists and the nature of what exists
◆ Positivism
● scientific methods (the testing of hypotheses derived from pre-existing theories) may be
applied to the study of social life
● knowledge is only generated through observation (empiricism)
● facts and values are distinct, making objective inquiry possible
● critics argue this isn’t value-free
◆ Interpretivism
● social world is fundamentally different from the world of natural phenomena and it does
not exist independently of our interpretation of it
◆ Scientific realism
● knowledge is not limited to what can be observed but also includes theoretical entities
(unobservable moments of life)
➔ How to do research - an overview:
◆ Step 1 - Formulating a research question
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