1.2: Comparative Methodology
- Read this article. What arguments does the author make in favor of comparative analysis as a valuable component of political research?
Watch this video, which includes an introduction to the political philosopher John Stuart Mill who was a pioneer in the field of comparative politics. The comparative method, also known as Mill’s methods, involves determining the causes of political phenomena (i.e. the occurrence of democracy).
Mill's comparative method are the Method of Agreement and the Method of Difference. Political scientists use these methods to collect observations of the world and use them to identify the causes of political events.
Read this article. What argument does the author make about the strengths and weaknesses of each research method?