Designing Social Inquiry

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Customer Reviews:

Absolute Dross [Posted on 2005-09-29]
Please spare yourself the pointless meanderings through what should be simple statistical techniques and buy a real statistics book.

This not a stats book [Posted on 2005-10-17]
This is a response to reviewers who think this is a stat book. This book is not meant to serve as a stats textbook (if you want one there are plenty of good ones written by statisticians and econometricians). This book is designed to serve as a guide to research design in social science in terms of developing a question, following systematic research procedures and measurement while using qualitative research methods. In that regard it does not do a great job as they are stuck up with applying simplistic statistical techniques (predominantly regression analysis)to qualitative methodology. As a result the work ends up appearing weak to both the statistically inclined (including myself) and those who use predominantly qualitative methods. Arguably the biggest problems with this work is in their treatment of constant dependent variable designs. This arises from their notion of a "causal effect" that is quite different from what qualitative researchers might see as causality. In statistical terms their notion is correct but when we move towards a qualitative interpretation of the same the concept becomes problematic primarily because it is difficult to discern the appropriate differentation between values of the dependent variable in qualitative work.

Nonetheless, this book should be treated on its own terms for attempting to synthesize quantiative and qualitative research methods. This book started a controversy that continues till this day and did a great job in forcing people to actually think more deeply about their research design and methods.

If you want to study statistics or econometrics forget this book (choose what you want to know about....regression analysis, time-series models, bayesian models....your choice). If you want to study qualitative research well read this book but then read Brady and Collier 2002 and George and Bennett 2004. George and Bennett's work is arguably the best book on research design I have ever read.

All the advantages and disadvantages of statistical reasoning applied to qualitative political science [Posted on 2006-01-29]
This book takes the basic logic of statistical inference and applies it to qualitative research design in political science. As several reviewers note, it is not a book on statistics, nor indeed does it pretend to be. However, it extends the logic of statistical research design into nonquantitative research.

That much it does very well. By thinking about how to test hypotheses and how to increase variation in a qualitative research design, it has been very influential. Most important, it has sparked extensive criticism, modifying and delineating its claims.

The book has some amusing flaws. Most of the examples come from the authors' colleagues and graduate students at Harvard, which suggests either that good research is not done by people without that connection or that the authors don't read anything written by people who don't have an office down the hall. The two non-quantitative coauthors have both done extensive qualitative research that demonstrably violates the advice given here--both before and after this book. This is evidence that the advice is hard to follow, that they have not read the book, or that good scholars take other factors into consideration when designing research.

The last hypothesis is in fact the right one. There are many factors that go into good research design, and positivistic hypothesis testing provides only a few. Even many of the examples they give are less appropriate than appears at first glance, addressing evidence that goes well beyond what this book's advice would be.

In short, don't rely on this as a bible. Don't believe its claims that all good research must meet these standards. Still, it's a good handbook for what it seeks to accomplish.

Qualitative quality [Posted on 2007-09-03]
A lot of the other reviews give great insight into what this book is and isn't.
I simply want to say that this book is excellent as a guide to what an optimal qualitative reasearch design should be, if it is to be as valid and reliable as possible. Qualitative research seems like a "haven" for researchers that want to follow their "heart" or "feelings", and this book contends unscientific research in a way that surely offends many of these researchers. Not that feelings should be excluded, it's just that the design must be more than a subjective view presented as research, and this book will help, even if you don't agree with everything they say.

perfect tool for students and teachers [Posted on 2008-10-12]
the KKV (king, Keohane and Verba) is one the best tool for beginners in research for social, political, International Relations students or academics. it delivers advices and problems that researchers will come across at one moment of the research life. it also offers a good overview and critical analysis of what research is.
the authors make sure the heavy subject that is reasearch in social sciences is not too heavy to read. the books approaches the different methodologies that research will have to chose.
if not owned yet, it is in need to be buy and must belong the student private library.

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