Comparative Methodology: Theory and Practice in International Social Research (SAGE Studies in International Sociology)

Does comparison across national boundaries present a new set of theoretical, methodological and epistemological challenges; or is it simply a variant (however complex in practice) of other social research? How far can the findings of single-country studies be replicated and validated through cross-national research? Is there a specific comparative methodology? How do the methodological issues of comparative work cut across other debates on method? Do data already available in national and international archives offer a route towards resolving practical problems in comparative research?

Exploring these and other issues in comparative methodology, this book will be essential reading for sociologists, political scientists and others engaged in international social research.