This book approaches current controversies concerning qualitative and quantitative procedures in the social sciences and incorporates new methods showing how they can supplement each other. It is based on a comprehensive international research project that readers can apply to their findings through the data set provided on the author's home page.

Autorentext
DIRK BERG-SCHLOSSER is Professor of Political Science at the Institute of Political Science, Philipps University, Germany. He was Chair of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) 2003-2006 and Vice-President of the International Political Science Association (IPSA) 2006-2009. His previous publications include The Conditions of Democracy in Europe 1919-39: Systematic Case Studies and Authoritarianism and Democracy in Europe, 1919-39: Comparative Analyses.

Inhalt
Introduction The State of the Art of Existing Research A Case Study: Belgium Testing Major Hypotheses Comparative Research Designs Model Specification and Operationalization Establishing Similarities and Dissimilarities of Political Systems Systematic Matching and Contrasting of Cases Reduction of Complexity Cross-Sectional Analysis Longitudinal Analysis Conclusions and Perspectives Bibliography Appendix: List and Sources of Variables