1What is comparative politics?
The study of politics within countries, often using comparisons to explain political differences.
2How does comparative politics differ from international politics?
Comparative politics studies politics within countries, while international politics studies relationships between countries.
3What is falsification?
The principle that a scientific claim must be capable of being disproved by evidence.
4Why is falsification important?
It allows political scientists to test theories using evidence.
5What are the five stages of the scientific method?
Question, Theory, Hypothesis, Testing, Evaluation.
6What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis?
A theory explains why something happens; a hypothesis is a testable prediction based on the theory.
7What is a case study?
An in-depth investigation of one case.
8What are the strengths and weaknesses of case studies?
Strengths include detailed understanding and tracing causes. Weaknesses include selection bias and limited generalisability.
9What is a small-N study?
A comparison of a small number of cases.
10What are the strengths of small-N studies?
Controlled comparisons and attention to context.
11What are the weaknesses of small-N studies?
Difficulty separating competing explanations, selection bias and limited generalisability.
12What is a large-N study?
A study of many cases or observations, often using statistics.
13What are the strengths of large-N studies?
Testing theories across many cases and using statistical controls.
14What are the weaknesses of large-N studies?
Data problems, invalid measures and difficulty establishing causation.
15Why does research design matter more than the number of countries studied?
Because what matters is whether the study can identify what caused an outcome.