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Research Methods in Politics and International Relations
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Research Methods in Politics and International Relations

Second Edition


December 2024 | 424 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
The most practical guide to conducting research in Politics and International Relations. This textbook sets out how to approach every stage of your research project, from formulating a research question and research design, to detailed guidance on using specific methods and writing up your paper.

Packed with practical tips throughout, this second edition:

•Offers a troubleshooting feature to help you with the most common blockages and questions at each stage of the process
•Has unrivalled coverage, with brand-new chapters on all the key methods used in Politics and IR, from discourse analysis and interviews to descriptive and inferential statistics.
•Engages with some of the most cutting-edge research with examples spanning current issues from climate change to great power competition.
•Helps you engage with theory in your research project, with a standalone chapter mapping theoretical perspectives and how to engage with theory successfully in your research. 
•Is immersed in practical application with two "Research in Practice" features running throughout the book to show methods in practice. 

Lamont and Boduszynski’s new book is eminently readable and designed for all students of Politics and IR, whether on an introductory methods course or undertaking a research project.

Christopher Lamont is Dean of E-Track’s International Relations program and Vice Dean of the Graduate School of International Relations at Tokyo International University in Japan.

Mieczyslaw P. Boduszynski is Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at Pomona College in California, USA.
 
Chapter 1 Getting Started
 
Chapter 2 Methodology and Methods in Politics and International Relations
 
Chapter 3 The Purpose of Theory
 
Chapter 4 Research Ethics
 
Chapter 5 Formulating a Research Question
 
Chapter 6 Compiling and Writing a Literature Review
 
Chapter 7 Research Design
 
Chapter 8 Single Case Study Design
 
Chapter 9 Comparative Case Study Design
 
Chapter 10 Interview Research
 
Chapter 11 Surveys and Questionnaires
 
Chapter 12 Documents, Texts, and Archival Research
 
Chapter 13 Discourse, Thematic, and Content Analysis
 
Chapter 14 Descriptive Statistics
 
Chapter 15 Inferential Statistical Analysis
 
Chapter 16 Correlation Tests and Regression Analysis
 
Chapter 17 Writing Up Your Paper
 
Chapter 18 Final Hurdles and Looking Forward

Christopher Lamont

Christopher Lamont is Dean of E-Track’s International Relations program and Vice Dean of the Graduate School of International Relations at Tokyo International University in Japan. He holds a PhD in Politics from the University of Glasgow. He was also a Fulbright fellow at the University of Zagreb and an RCUK postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ulster. His research interests are at the intersection of global governance, technology, and international justice. He is the author of Research Methods in International Relations, now in its second edition, published by Sage. He is also co-editor (with Arnaud Kurze) of New Critical Spaces in... More About Author

Mieczyslaw P. Boduszynski

Mieczyslaw P. Boduszynski is Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at Pomona College in Claremont, California, USA. He has been a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Zagreb and taught courses at universities in Japan, Egypt, Albania, and France. His research interests include democracy and human rights promotion; U.S. foreign policy; democratic transitions and authoritarian backsliding; and the politics of transitional justice. He is the author of two books: Regime Change in the Yugoslav Successor States (Johns Hopkins 2010) and U.S. Democracy Promotion in the Arab World (Lynne Rienner 2019). In addition to his... More About Author

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