Doing Empirical Political Research

Doing Empirical Political Research

This text emphasizes active learning through the use of real data and a hands-on approach to SPSS. By placing coverage of the philosophy of science and the building blocks of research at the beginning, the structure of the text follows the actual process students would employ in their own research. Activities and exercises help students master research concepts and skills.ReviewI will definitely adopt this text. . . . It is a much needed addition to the texts being published. It is just what I have been searching for over the past several years. It is obvious the authors love teaching and are good teachers. They understand student needs. I am very interested in it because of the emphasis on active learning and the information on SPSS.After waiting many years for a good text on the subject . . . I think the authors have done a wonderful job here. They develop individual points very nicely, and tie lots of concepts together whenever possible.Doing Empirical Political Science Research addresses the important distinction between theory and practice, showing why both are necessary . . . The authors do an excellent job with probability theory and significance testing, and stress their applied value with data from several different sources. This is a valuable text for undergraduate courses in methods and a primer for graduates, as well.I think that this text is an introduction to doing research for undergraduates. It is well organized, concise, easy to read, and practical. I would gladly recommend this text to my colleagues.The authors' strategy for introducing SPSS is exactly right. SPSS is the most widely used statistical package in social sciences and political science. . . This is a splendid set of datasets - very useful and comprehensive for a first course.About the AuthorJames Carlson, Professor of Political Science at Providence College, received his Ph.D. from Kent State University. He has researched and written widely on political behavior, media and politics, parties, elections, and political psychology, including the book, Prime Time Law Enforcement. He regularly teaches courses on research methods, mass media and politics, electoral behavior, law and society, and American politics.Professor of Political Science at Providence College, received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University. His research interests and writing are in the areas of state politics, interest groups, political organizations and activists. He regularly teaches courses on research methods, comparative state politics, and political parties.