Comparative Politics: The Problem of Equivalence (ECPR Classics) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1907301410 ISBN 13: 9781907301414

Publisher: ECPR Press, 2013

Synopsis

The complications of using similar concepts in different situations are well known to everyone in comparative politics. This volume faces the problems of comparability and equivalence head on and indicates practical ways they can be tackled. Each contribution focuses on a theoretically relevant theme, such as tolerance, political values, religious orientation, gender roles, voluntary associations, party organisations, party positions, democratic regimes, and the mass media. Chapters cover different approaches, methods, data and countries, making use of widely available empirical research to illustrate the gains of finding equivalent measures in realistic research settings. Many of the strategies show how the complicated search for comparability and equivalence uncovers substantial additional information in comparative politics. Dealing with these problems can enhance the quality and reliability of any research. This edition includes a new introduction from Jan W van Deth, examining developments in the field over the last twenty years.

About this title

About the Author

Jan W van Deth is Professor of Political Science and International Comparative Social Research at the University of Mannheim (Germany). His main research areas are political culture (especially social capital, political engagement, and citizenship), social change, and comparative research methods. He was Director of the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES), convenor of the network Citizenship, Involvement, Democracy (CID) of the European Science Foundation, and Series Editor of the Studies in European Political Science for ECPR Press. He is a Corresponding Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and national coordinator of the German team for the European Social Survey (ESS). Recent publications include New Participatory Dimensions in Civil Society (Routledge, 2012; edited with William Maloney).

Edition details

• Publisher: ECPR Press
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1907301410
• ISBN 13: 9781907301414
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 308
• Editor: Van Deth Jan W.