Introduction to Comparative Politics: Methods, Reliability, and Validity Explained

Welcome to this introductory tutorial on comparative politics, a subfield of political science. This video covers why comparisons are made in political studies, the management of quantitative versus qualitative methods, and the significance of reliability and validity in research. You'll learn about the benefits and challenges of different methodologies, illustrated with real-world examples like Inglehart's World Value Survey and Flyvbjerg's planning studies. The tutorial concludes with guidance on how to tackle common concerns faced by comparativists, including case selection and concept formulation.

00:00 Introduction to Comparative Politics
00:38 The Importance of Comparison in Political Science
02:28 Quantitative vs. Qualitative Methods
03:42 Challenges with Quantitative Data
06:05 The Role of Qualitative Data
09:22 Balancing Reliability and Validity
11:03 Mid-Range Studies: A Compromise
12:22 Common Concerns for Comparativists
14:29 Conclusion and Final Thoughts