The Essentials of Political Analysis

A clear, user-friendly methods text that students actually enjoy using Methods: the course students love to hate. Whether because of anxiety about maths and statistics, or the expectation that the subject will be dull, many students find that learning the tools of political analysis is an ordeal. Philip Pollock relieves the burden with a two-part solution: put students at ease with a conversational writing style and get them working with actual data as soon as possible. Brief and user-friendly, The Essentials of Political Analysis provides a strong conceptual foundation for methods students. It walks them through the basics - measuring concepts, formulating and testing hypotheses, describing variables - and prepares them to apply what they learn immediately on the computer. The author hooks students with interesting, real-world case material, and his animated and accessible language gets students comfortable with key terms and concepts. Chapter-opening objectives cue students to learning goals, 80 tables and figures enhance important textual material, while classtested chapter exercises promote skill application and aid student review. This approach helps students master concepts and analyze results with relevant examples and easy-to-use canned data sets. The outcome? Low intimidation and effective results. The combination of The Essentials of Political Analysis and An SPSS Companion to Political Analysis offers the most accessible, comprehensive way for students to master methods material and get comfortable using SPSS.

Philip H. Pollock III is a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida. He is co-author of Business, Money and the Rise of Corporate PACs in American Elections.