The Essentials of Political Analysis

Student anxiety runs high given the seemingly intimidating nature of the methods course. Philip Pollock's first order of business is to get math-phobic students comfortable learning and using the tools of political analysis. Brief and accessible, his text walks students through the basics-- measuring concepts, formulating and testing hypotheses, describing variables-- and uses key terms, chapter-opening objectives, more than eighty tables and figures, and class-tested chapter exercises to promote skill application and aid student review. Fully up-to-date with new exercises and data, this third edition includes a new chapter devoted to measuring and describing variables, as well as fresh coverage of multiple regression and research design.

Philip H. Pollock III is a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida. He has taught courses in research methods at the undergraduate and graduate levels for more than thirty years. His main research interests are American public opinion, voting behavior, techniques of quantitative analysis, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. His recent research has been on the effectiveness of Internet-based instruction. Pollock’s research has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Social Science Quarterly, and the British Journal of Political Science. Recent scholarly publications include articles in Political Research Quarterly, the Journal of Political Science Education, and PS: Political Science and Politics.