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How to Compare Countries?
Session4th
• Why Jokowi had successful in Indonesian Presidential Election 2014?
• Why the social-demoratic political parties have successful in Latin America?
• Why western countries are more democratic than eastern countries?
Comparative Inferences
Pertanyaan Diskusi Kelompok
Why different methods?
The distinction between different comparative
methods, based upon:
1) The particular research question,
2) The time and resources of the researcher,
3) The method with which the researcher is
comfortable,
4) The epistemological position he or she adopts.
Methods of ComparisonBased on Sartori (1970) and Mair (1996)
COMPARING MANY COUNTRIES
1st method
‘large-n’ Comparison
The large number of countries makes this method of
comparison particularly suited to quantitative analysis
of aggregate data collected on different measures that
vary across many countries (Lijphart 1971).
Example work:
Democracy and Development (Przeworski et al. 2000)
includes 150 countries from 1950 to 1990
Strengths Weaknesses/challenges
Statistical control Invalid measures
Limited selection bias Data availability
Extensive scope Too abstract/high level of
generality
Strong inferences and good
for theory-building
Time-consuming
Identify deviant countries Mathematical and computer
training
‘large-n’ Comparison: An Assessment
COMPARING FEW COUNTRIES
2nd method
‘small-n’ Comparison
• The country is often the unit of
analysis, and the focus tends to be on
the similarities and differences among
countries rather than the analytical
relationships between variables.
• There are two main types of research
design: compare different outcomes
across similar countries, which is
known as the Most Similar Systems
Design (MSSD); and compare similar
outcomes across different countries,
which is known as the Most Different
Systems Design (MDSD).
Strengths Weaknesses/challenges
Control by selecting MSSD
or MDSD
Less secure inferences
Good for theory-building Selection bias:
1. Choice of countries
2. Choice of historical
account
Intensive, less variable-
oriented
Language training
Avoid ‘conceptual
stretching’
Field research
Thick description
Areas studies
Configurative analysis
Macro-history
‘small-n’ Comparison: An Assessment
COMPARING SINGLE COUNTRIES
3rd method
Why different methods?
A single-country study is considered comparative if it
uses concepts that are applicable to other countries,
develops concepts that are applicable to other
countries, and/or seeks to make larger inferences that
stretch beyond the original country used in the study.
Many examples are:
Tocqueville’s (1888) Democracy in America,
Dahl’s (1961) Who Governs?,
Lijphart’s (1968) The Politics of Accommodation (the
Netherlands),
O’Donnell’s (1973) Modernization and Bureaucratic
Authoritarianism (Argentina),
Varshney’s (2002) Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life
(India), etc.
Strengths Weaknesses/challenges
Intensive, ideographic,
path-dependent, and
configurative analysis.
Insecure inferences
Six types:
1. Atheoretical
2. Interpretive
3. Hypothesis-generating
4. Theory-confirming
5. Theory-infirming
6. Deviant countries
Selection bias:
1. Choice of countries
2. Choice of historical
account
Language training
Field research
Case Study Comparison: An Assessment