Qualitative research, defined here in contrast to quantitative research as consisting of verbal a... more Qualitative research, defined here in contrast to quantitative research as consisting of verbal as opposed to numerical statements or, more simply, of words as opposed to numbers, is an inextricable, necessary component of the social sciences. Moreover, for a variety of reasons, the bulk of existing knowledge in the social sciences has been generated through qualitative research and this form of research probably will continue to be the most commonly used path to knowledge. Yet a great part of the potential of qualitative research is not realized because the methodological foundation of this research is shaky.
The study of critical junctures and their legacies—a tradition of research launched by Lipset and... more The study of critical junctures and their legacies—a tradition of research launched by Lipset and Rokkan—has been an abiding concern among scholars engaged in macro-comparative analysis. The critical juncture framework yields valuable insights into trajectories of political change in which major episodes of innovation are followed by the emergence of enduring institutions.
Abstract: After making a case that more attention needs to be given to the quality of data on cor... more Abstract: After making a case that more attention needs to be given to the quality of data on corruption, we analyze and test the validity of data on corruption using the full range of data sets employed in corruption research. First, we show that different classes of sources of data on indicators of corruption, a distinction based on who evaluates a country’s level of corruption, rely on different standards to assess corruption and that the difference in standards does not hold consistently across countries. Second, we show that the problem with indicators is simply imported into Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) and the World Bank’s Control of Corruption Index (CCI). Systematic differences among indicators are disregarded in the selection of indicators used in these indices. And the rule to aggregate indicators further induces bias that undermines the comparability of the CPI and the CCI. The implications of this assessment for the analysis and product...
This review and assessment of the field of democracy studies is organized around three distinct a... more This review and assessment of the field of democracy studies is organized around three distinct agendas defined in terms of the concepts of democratic transition, democratic stability, and democratic quality. In each case, the definition and justification of the subject matter, the main scholarly works on the subject, and the research findings, are outlined. In addition, the challenges faced by this literature are discussed. This line of analysis is pursued especially in the context of the well established agendas on democratic transition and democratic stability, and focuses on three areas: the conceptualization and measurement of the dependent variables, the integration of causal theories, and the assessment of causal theories. This article offers a balanced assessment, identifying strengths and weaknesses of the literature on democracy. The spirit of this review, however, is decidedly constructive, seeking to provide a map of the most fruitful avenues for future research.
for their useful comments. While this article has been improved as a result of their suggestions,... more for their useful comments. While this article has been improved as a result of their suggestions, as always any errors are fully the author's responsibility.
Set-theoretic comparative methods (STCM) have some appeal, but these methods as well as claims ab... more Set-theoretic comparative methods (STCM) have some appeal, but these methods as well as claims about these methods are deeply problematic. The most basic problem is that these methods reduce causation to a logical relation and erroneously posit that causal hypotheses can be formalized as a relation of material implication. In addition, advocated of STCM commonly misrepresent their relationship to quantitative and qualitative methods. STCM and standard regression analysis are not incommensurable methods. Moreover, STCM actually clash with process tracing, a method used by qualitative researchers. Thus, qualitative comparativists should not use STCM, and the discussion about social science methods should turn from STCM to other, more promising options.
Politics in Latin America continued to be about democracy after the democratic transitions in Lat... more Politics in Latin America continued to be about democracy after the democratic transitions in Latin America in the 1980s and 1990s. An old concern – securing the minimal standard of democracy that had served as the goal of democratic transitions – remained relevant. But a new concern – the attainment of more than a minimal democracy – transformed politics about democracy. Actors who supported and opposed neoliberalism – the key axis of ideological conflict – advocated and resisted political changes in the name of different models of democracy. And the conflict overwhichmodel of democracy would prevail shaped Latin America’s post-transition trajectories, determininghowdemocracy developed and, in turn,whetherdemocracy endured.
Recent events across the globe make clear the complexities of the politics of “democratization” a... more Recent events across the globe make clear the complexities of the politics of “democratization” and the importance of developing nuanced and compelling understandings of these complexities. In Eurasia, “Color Revolutions” have given way to democratic disappointments and “authoritarian regimes.” In north Africa, an unanticipated upsurge of democratic movements has felled autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt, but the political outcomes of these “transitions” are very much in doubt. Contemporary political science has developed an elaborate vocabulary for understanding such processes. And this vocabulary owes a great deal to a small group of scholars—Juan Linz, Guillermo O'Donnell, Philippe Schmitter, Alfred Stepan and Adam Przeworksi—who helped to lay the theoretical foundations of our current understanding of politics around the globe.
The C&M working paper series are published by the Committee on Concepts and Methods (C&M), the Re... more The C&M working paper series are published by the Committee on Concepts and Methods (C&M), the Research Committee No. 1 of the International Political Science Association (IPSA), hosted at CIDE in Mexico City. C&M working papers are meant to share work in progress in a timely way before formal publication. Authors bear full responsibility for the content of their contributions. All rights reserved. The Committee on Concepts and Methods (C&M) promotes conceptual and methodological discussion in political science. It provides a forum of debate between methodological schools who otherwise tend to conduct their deliberations at separate tables. It publishes two series of working papers: "Political Concepts" and "Political Methodology." Political Concepts contains work of excellence on political concepts and political language. It seeks to include innovative contributions to concept analysis, language usage, concept operationalization, and measurement. Political Methodology contains work of excellence on methods and methodology in the study of politics. It invites innovative work on fundamental questions of research design, the construction and evaluation of empirical evidence, theory building and theory testing. The series welcomes, and hopes to foster, contributions that cut across conventional methodological divides, as between quantitative and qualitative methods, or between interpretative and observational approaches. Submissions. All papers are subject to review by two reviewers, often including one member of the Editorial Board or an external reviewer. Only English-language papers can be admitted. Authors interested in including their work in the C&M Series may send their paper to wp[at]conceptsmethods.org. They may also seek initial endorsement by one editorial board member. The C&M webpage offers full access to past working papers.
ABSTRACT This article addresses the links between democracy, understood in minimal procedural ter... more ABSTRACT This article addresses the links between democracy, understood in minimal procedural terms, and the state, considered as a political centre that (1) has the monopoly of violence within a territory, (2) rules over a population that shares a sense of nationhood, and (3) delivers public goods other than political order. It considers two perspectives on these state-democracy links: one that holds that, to ensure successful democratization and enduring democracy, the construction of a state must be completed before steps are taken to install democracy; another that posits that state construction can be confronted in the course of democratization or through democracy. The article concludes that variants of the proposition “no state, no democracy”, when understood as involving explanatory relationships, have validity, but are only partially true, frequently one-sided – ignoring how democracy affects state-related problems – and excessively pessimistic – overlooking how democracy can offer a solution to state-related problems. Thus, research on the “no state, no democracy” proposition does not support a general prescription to put the state first. As democracy was established as a key basis for the legitimacy of the state throughout the world in the twentieth century, the democracy first thesis gained considerable plausibility.
AgendAs y estrAtegiAs de investigAción en el estudio de lA políticA lAtinoAmericAnA Gerardo L. Mu... more AgendAs y estrAtegiAs de investigAción en el estudio de lA políticA lAtinoAmericAnA Gerardo L. Munck universidad deL sur de caLifornia resumen este artículo se enfoca en investigaciones pasadas y actuales de la política latinoamericana. ofrece una revisión de las agendas de investigación desarrolladas en las cuatro últimas décadas, poniendo énfasis en la evolución de una política comparada de América latina. también aborda las estrategias-familias de métodos-utilizadas en la investigación de la política latinoamericana y provee una evaluación de estas estrategias. Aunque las contribuciones de los métodos de investigación tradicionales son reconocidas, también se remarca la necesidad de incorporar metodologías innovadoras. Por lo tanto, el avance del conocimiento de la política latinoamericana es visto como dependiendo de investigaciones que encuentran un balance adecuado entre viejos y nuevos métodos de estudio.
RESUMEN este artículo aborda la vieja pregunta ¿qué es la democracia? a la luz de desarrollos en ... more RESUMEN este artículo aborda la vieja pregunta ¿qué es la democracia? a la luz de desarrollos en el pensamiento latinoamericano y analiza las tendencias políticas en la región andina durante años recientes desde la perspectiva de la democracia. se sostiene que la democracia electoral es vista como un mínimo indispensable de la democracia. pero también se pone énfasis en tres requisitos adicionales que se han propuesto como condiciones necesarias para que una democracia electoral se convierta en una democracia plena: una forma democrática de gobernar, una forma democrática de cambiar la constitución, y un estado con poder para proteger los derechos civiles y sociales. Forjar un consenso acerca de esta visión más completa de la democracia es un reto importante del pensamiento latinoamericano sobre la democracia.
In an effort to take stock of the claims put forth by advocates of game theory, this article offe... more In an effort to take stock of the claims put forth by advocates of game theory, this article offers an assessment that considers game theory both as a set of theoretical principles that extends rational choice theory to interdependent decision making and as a type of formal methodology. Some important strengths of game theory are identified, such as its emphasis on actors and strategic choices and its ability to generate predictions in a logically rigorous and internally consistent manner. But many shortcomings are also discussed. One shortcoming is that the effort to develop a theory of action falls short, both in the sense of failing to provide a full explanation of actions and in the sense of not applying to domains of great significance. A second shortcoming is the failure of the procedures used in formal modeling to offer guidance pertaining to a critical step in the process of modeling: the conceptualization of the model. Thus, the challenge facing scholars in comparative poli...
Studies in Comparative International Development, 1998
A fter a wave of publications on comparative methodology in the late 1960s to mid-1970s I and the... more A fter a wave of publications on comparative methodology in the late 1960s to mid-1970s I and the subsequent abatement of discussion, we are now again in a period of great interest in issues pertaining to qualitative and small-N research. 2 As a sign of the vitality of this literature, ...
Studies in Comparative International Development, 2001
T he dramatic alternation of democratic and authoritarian regimes in Latin America has provided b... more T he dramatic alternation of democratic and authoritarian regimes in Latin America has provided both the empirical base and the normative motivation for research that is conceptually innovative, methodologically self-conscious, and richly grounded in the analysis of cases. 1 This tradition of research has generated an impressive range of substantive findings about some of the most important questions of politics. Moreover, it has been associated with significant methodological innovations-helping contribute to new perspectives on small-N comparative analysis, and to the refinement and enrichment of concepts in comparative research. For these reasons, the study of national political regimes in Latin America has been a prominent locus of influential work in comparative politics and comparative social science over nearly four decades. This special issue of Studies in Comparative International Development presents a new set of articles that further advances this tradition of research. The three central concerns are: (1) the ongoing effort to open new agendas and identify new research questions; (2) methodological issues, specifically the measurement of key concepts and the systematic use of subnational comparison; and (3) the empirical assessment of causal claims about regime change, in the present case building on an approach that frames these claims within a long time horizon. Guillermo O'Donnell's article extends his earlier efforts to formulate concepts appropriate for the analysis of democracy in Latin America since the 1980s. The point of departure is O'Donnell's observation that existing democratic theory does not provide an adequate framework for studying these democracies. He points out that-notwithstanding the recent emphasis on procedural minimum definitions-efforts to conceptualize democracy that draw upon Joseph Schumpeter inherently cannot limit themselves to institutional
A survey of the literature on social movements shows that the contributions by American and Europ... more A survey of the literature on social movements shows that the contributions by American and European scholars have shed considerable light on two problems: why social movements emerge with particular identities and how organisers give coherence to a movement and co-ordinate the actions of their followers. The challenge faced by movement organisers in seeking to bring about change - a challenge that forces a social movement to engage strategically as a social actor, with its political-institutional environment - has received, however, relatively little attention. Seeking to fill this gap in the literature I argue that the distinct analytical issues raised by the problem of political strategy which social movements face can only be addressed through a synthesis that builds upon, but goes beyond, the contributions made by American and European scholars. The challenge is to conceive of social movements as strategic actors, while acknowledging the implications that a movement's colle...
Qualitative research, defined here in contrast to quantitative research as consisting of verbal a... more Qualitative research, defined here in contrast to quantitative research as consisting of verbal as opposed to numerical statements or, more simply, of words as opposed to numbers, is an inextricable, necessary component of the social sciences. Moreover, for a variety of reasons, the bulk of existing knowledge in the social sciences has been generated through qualitative research and this form of research probably will continue to be the most commonly used path to knowledge. Yet a great part of the potential of qualitative research is not realized because the methodological foundation of this research is shaky.
The study of critical junctures and their legacies—a tradition of research launched by Lipset and... more The study of critical junctures and their legacies—a tradition of research launched by Lipset and Rokkan—has been an abiding concern among scholars engaged in macro-comparative analysis. The critical juncture framework yields valuable insights into trajectories of political change in which major episodes of innovation are followed by the emergence of enduring institutions.
Abstract: After making a case that more attention needs to be given to the quality of data on cor... more Abstract: After making a case that more attention needs to be given to the quality of data on corruption, we analyze and test the validity of data on corruption using the full range of data sets employed in corruption research. First, we show that different classes of sources of data on indicators of corruption, a distinction based on who evaluates a country’s level of corruption, rely on different standards to assess corruption and that the difference in standards does not hold consistently across countries. Second, we show that the problem with indicators is simply imported into Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) and the World Bank’s Control of Corruption Index (CCI). Systematic differences among indicators are disregarded in the selection of indicators used in these indices. And the rule to aggregate indicators further induces bias that undermines the comparability of the CPI and the CCI. The implications of this assessment for the analysis and product...
This review and assessment of the field of democracy studies is organized around three distinct a... more This review and assessment of the field of democracy studies is organized around three distinct agendas defined in terms of the concepts of democratic transition, democratic stability, and democratic quality. In each case, the definition and justification of the subject matter, the main scholarly works on the subject, and the research findings, are outlined. In addition, the challenges faced by this literature are discussed. This line of analysis is pursued especially in the context of the well established agendas on democratic transition and democratic stability, and focuses on three areas: the conceptualization and measurement of the dependent variables, the integration of causal theories, and the assessment of causal theories. This article offers a balanced assessment, identifying strengths and weaknesses of the literature on democracy. The spirit of this review, however, is decidedly constructive, seeking to provide a map of the most fruitful avenues for future research.
for their useful comments. While this article has been improved as a result of their suggestions,... more for their useful comments. While this article has been improved as a result of their suggestions, as always any errors are fully the author's responsibility.
Set-theoretic comparative methods (STCM) have some appeal, but these methods as well as claims ab... more Set-theoretic comparative methods (STCM) have some appeal, but these methods as well as claims about these methods are deeply problematic. The most basic problem is that these methods reduce causation to a logical relation and erroneously posit that causal hypotheses can be formalized as a relation of material implication. In addition, advocated of STCM commonly misrepresent their relationship to quantitative and qualitative methods. STCM and standard regression analysis are not incommensurable methods. Moreover, STCM actually clash with process tracing, a method used by qualitative researchers. Thus, qualitative comparativists should not use STCM, and the discussion about social science methods should turn from STCM to other, more promising options.
Politics in Latin America continued to be about democracy after the democratic transitions in Lat... more Politics in Latin America continued to be about democracy after the democratic transitions in Latin America in the 1980s and 1990s. An old concern – securing the minimal standard of democracy that had served as the goal of democratic transitions – remained relevant. But a new concern – the attainment of more than a minimal democracy – transformed politics about democracy. Actors who supported and opposed neoliberalism – the key axis of ideological conflict – advocated and resisted political changes in the name of different models of democracy. And the conflict overwhichmodel of democracy would prevail shaped Latin America’s post-transition trajectories, determininghowdemocracy developed and, in turn,whetherdemocracy endured.
Recent events across the globe make clear the complexities of the politics of “democratization” a... more Recent events across the globe make clear the complexities of the politics of “democratization” and the importance of developing nuanced and compelling understandings of these complexities. In Eurasia, “Color Revolutions” have given way to democratic disappointments and “authoritarian regimes.” In north Africa, an unanticipated upsurge of democratic movements has felled autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt, but the political outcomes of these “transitions” are very much in doubt. Contemporary political science has developed an elaborate vocabulary for understanding such processes. And this vocabulary owes a great deal to a small group of scholars—Juan Linz, Guillermo O'Donnell, Philippe Schmitter, Alfred Stepan and Adam Przeworksi—who helped to lay the theoretical foundations of our current understanding of politics around the globe.
The C&M working paper series are published by the Committee on Concepts and Methods (C&M), the Re... more The C&M working paper series are published by the Committee on Concepts and Methods (C&M), the Research Committee No. 1 of the International Political Science Association (IPSA), hosted at CIDE in Mexico City. C&M working papers are meant to share work in progress in a timely way before formal publication. Authors bear full responsibility for the content of their contributions. All rights reserved. The Committee on Concepts and Methods (C&M) promotes conceptual and methodological discussion in political science. It provides a forum of debate between methodological schools who otherwise tend to conduct their deliberations at separate tables. It publishes two series of working papers: "Political Concepts" and "Political Methodology." Political Concepts contains work of excellence on political concepts and political language. It seeks to include innovative contributions to concept analysis, language usage, concept operationalization, and measurement. Political Methodology contains work of excellence on methods and methodology in the study of politics. It invites innovative work on fundamental questions of research design, the construction and evaluation of empirical evidence, theory building and theory testing. The series welcomes, and hopes to foster, contributions that cut across conventional methodological divides, as between quantitative and qualitative methods, or between interpretative and observational approaches. Submissions. All papers are subject to review by two reviewers, often including one member of the Editorial Board or an external reviewer. Only English-language papers can be admitted. Authors interested in including their work in the C&M Series may send their paper to wp[at]conceptsmethods.org. They may also seek initial endorsement by one editorial board member. The C&M webpage offers full access to past working papers.
ABSTRACT This article addresses the links between democracy, understood in minimal procedural ter... more ABSTRACT This article addresses the links between democracy, understood in minimal procedural terms, and the state, considered as a political centre that (1) has the monopoly of violence within a territory, (2) rules over a population that shares a sense of nationhood, and (3) delivers public goods other than political order. It considers two perspectives on these state-democracy links: one that holds that, to ensure successful democratization and enduring democracy, the construction of a state must be completed before steps are taken to install democracy; another that posits that state construction can be confronted in the course of democratization or through democracy. The article concludes that variants of the proposition “no state, no democracy”, when understood as involving explanatory relationships, have validity, but are only partially true, frequently one-sided – ignoring how democracy affects state-related problems – and excessively pessimistic – overlooking how democracy can offer a solution to state-related problems. Thus, research on the “no state, no democracy” proposition does not support a general prescription to put the state first. As democracy was established as a key basis for the legitimacy of the state throughout the world in the twentieth century, the democracy first thesis gained considerable plausibility.
AgendAs y estrAtegiAs de investigAción en el estudio de lA políticA lAtinoAmericAnA Gerardo L. Mu... more AgendAs y estrAtegiAs de investigAción en el estudio de lA políticA lAtinoAmericAnA Gerardo L. Munck universidad deL sur de caLifornia resumen este artículo se enfoca en investigaciones pasadas y actuales de la política latinoamericana. ofrece una revisión de las agendas de investigación desarrolladas en las cuatro últimas décadas, poniendo énfasis en la evolución de una política comparada de América latina. también aborda las estrategias-familias de métodos-utilizadas en la investigación de la política latinoamericana y provee una evaluación de estas estrategias. Aunque las contribuciones de los métodos de investigación tradicionales son reconocidas, también se remarca la necesidad de incorporar metodologías innovadoras. Por lo tanto, el avance del conocimiento de la política latinoamericana es visto como dependiendo de investigaciones que encuentran un balance adecuado entre viejos y nuevos métodos de estudio.
RESUMEN este artículo aborda la vieja pregunta ¿qué es la democracia? a la luz de desarrollos en ... more RESUMEN este artículo aborda la vieja pregunta ¿qué es la democracia? a la luz de desarrollos en el pensamiento latinoamericano y analiza las tendencias políticas en la región andina durante años recientes desde la perspectiva de la democracia. se sostiene que la democracia electoral es vista como un mínimo indispensable de la democracia. pero también se pone énfasis en tres requisitos adicionales que se han propuesto como condiciones necesarias para que una democracia electoral se convierta en una democracia plena: una forma democrática de gobernar, una forma democrática de cambiar la constitución, y un estado con poder para proteger los derechos civiles y sociales. Forjar un consenso acerca de esta visión más completa de la democracia es un reto importante del pensamiento latinoamericano sobre la democracia.
In an effort to take stock of the claims put forth by advocates of game theory, this article offe... more In an effort to take stock of the claims put forth by advocates of game theory, this article offers an assessment that considers game theory both as a set of theoretical principles that extends rational choice theory to interdependent decision making and as a type of formal methodology. Some important strengths of game theory are identified, such as its emphasis on actors and strategic choices and its ability to generate predictions in a logically rigorous and internally consistent manner. But many shortcomings are also discussed. One shortcoming is that the effort to develop a theory of action falls short, both in the sense of failing to provide a full explanation of actions and in the sense of not applying to domains of great significance. A second shortcoming is the failure of the procedures used in formal modeling to offer guidance pertaining to a critical step in the process of modeling: the conceptualization of the model. Thus, the challenge facing scholars in comparative poli...
Studies in Comparative International Development, 1998
A fter a wave of publications on comparative methodology in the late 1960s to mid-1970s I and the... more A fter a wave of publications on comparative methodology in the late 1960s to mid-1970s I and the subsequent abatement of discussion, we are now again in a period of great interest in issues pertaining to qualitative and small-N research. 2 As a sign of the vitality of this literature, ...
Studies in Comparative International Development, 2001
T he dramatic alternation of democratic and authoritarian regimes in Latin America has provided b... more T he dramatic alternation of democratic and authoritarian regimes in Latin America has provided both the empirical base and the normative motivation for research that is conceptually innovative, methodologically self-conscious, and richly grounded in the analysis of cases. 1 This tradition of research has generated an impressive range of substantive findings about some of the most important questions of politics. Moreover, it has been associated with significant methodological innovations-helping contribute to new perspectives on small-N comparative analysis, and to the refinement and enrichment of concepts in comparative research. For these reasons, the study of national political regimes in Latin America has been a prominent locus of influential work in comparative politics and comparative social science over nearly four decades. This special issue of Studies in Comparative International Development presents a new set of articles that further advances this tradition of research. The three central concerns are: (1) the ongoing effort to open new agendas and identify new research questions; (2) methodological issues, specifically the measurement of key concepts and the systematic use of subnational comparison; and (3) the empirical assessment of causal claims about regime change, in the present case building on an approach that frames these claims within a long time horizon. Guillermo O'Donnell's article extends his earlier efforts to formulate concepts appropriate for the analysis of democracy in Latin America since the 1980s. The point of departure is O'Donnell's observation that existing democratic theory does not provide an adequate framework for studying these democracies. He points out that-notwithstanding the recent emphasis on procedural minimum definitions-efforts to conceptualize democracy that draw upon Joseph Schumpeter inherently cannot limit themselves to institutional
A survey of the literature on social movements shows that the contributions by American and Europ... more A survey of the literature on social movements shows that the contributions by American and European scholars have shed considerable light on two problems: why social movements emerge with particular identities and how organisers give coherence to a movement and co-ordinate the actions of their followers. The challenge faced by movement organisers in seeking to bring about change - a challenge that forces a social movement to engage strategically as a social actor, with its political-institutional environment - has received, however, relatively little attention. Seeking to fill this gap in the literature I argue that the distinct analytical issues raised by the problem of political strategy which social movements face can only be addressed through a synthesis that builds upon, but goes beyond, the contributions made by American and European scholars. The challenge is to conceive of social movements as strategic actors, while acknowledging the implications that a movement's colle...
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