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Multi-Method Research in the Social Sciences: A Review of Recent Frameworks and a Way Forward

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2019

Derek Beach Open the ORCID record for Derek Beach [Opens in a new window]
Derek Beach*
Affiliation:
Derek Beach, Department of Political Science, University of Aarhus, Denmark
*
*Corresponding author. Email: derek@ps.au.dk
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Abstract

This article reviews recent attempts to develop multi-method social scientific frameworks. The article starts by discussing the ontological and epistemological foundations underlying case studies and variance-based approaches, differentiating approaches into bottom-up, case-based and top-down, variance-based approaches. Case-based approaches aim to learn how a causal process works within a case, whereas variance-based approaches assess mean causal effects across a set of cases. However, because of the different fundamental assumptions, it is very difficult for in-depth studies of individual cases to communicate meaningfully with claims about mean causal effects across a large set of cases. The conclusions discuss the broader challenges this distinction has for the study of comparative politics more broadly.

Keywords

multi-method researchcase-basedvariance-basedcausal mechanismscounterfactuals
Type
Review Article
Information
Government and Opposition , Volume 55 , Issue 1 , January 2020 , pp. 163 - 182
Copyright
Copyright © The Author 2019. Published by Government and Opposition Limited and Cambridge University Press 

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