Brief Introduction
Explore comparative analysis and itsimportance in the social sciences. You'll learn howto use comparative methods for constructive explanation and theory building and applyit to real-world politics.
Description
This course is part of the IPSAMOOC project, a joint venture Federica Weblearning - IPSA, the International Political Science Association
Emile Durkheim, one of the founders of modern empirical social science, once stated that the comparative method is the only one that suits the social sciences. But Descartes hadposited that "comparaison n'est pas raison," which means that comparison is not reason (or theory) by itself. So what's the right answer?
This course provides an introduction and overview of systematic comparative analysis in the social sciences, and shows you how to use this method for constructive explanation and theory building.
A major portion of the course is devoted to new approaches and software that have been developed in recent yearsto handle highly complex cases. Such cases includecomparisons of EU member states, Latin American political systems,and particular policy areas. Procedures such as Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and related methods are able to reduce complexity and to arrive at "configurational" solutions based on set theory and Boolean algebra. These are more meaningful in this context thancommonly used, broad-based statistical methods.
Inthe last section, these methods are contrasted with more common statistical comparative methods at the macro-level. We'll discuss various states or societies and their respective strengths and weaknesses.
Knowledge
- An understanding of systematic comparative analysis and why it is more useful than other broad-based statistical methods
- How to use systematic comparative analysis for constructive explanation and theory building
- How to apply systematic comparative analysis to real-world politics
Python: Step into the World of Machine Learning
- 2.9
-
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Apply your existing Python skills to the highly lucrative fields of machine learning and deep learning. Are you looking at improving and extending the capabilities of your machine learning systems?...
Critical Appraisal Techniques for Healthcare Literature
- 0.0
-
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Learn how to critically appraise published medical research literature to keep up with research developments in your field....
Innovation Through Design: Think, Make, Break, Repeat
- 4.8
-
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Design is becoming a capability-enhancing skill, equipping people with the ability to deal with uncertainty, complexity and failure. Introducing design Welcome and meet your instructors...
Create High-Fidelity Designs and Prototypes in Figma
- 4.9
-
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
In this course, you will follow step-by-step tutorials to learn how to create high-fidelity designs, called mockups, in Figma, a popular design tool....
