Understanding Political Methodology

This book presents an accessible overview of the key concepts underlying quantitative political methodology. Nathaniel L. Beck draws on existing quantitative analysis relating to political behavior and institutions to outline how and where these approaches are best used. Providing insights into the historical foundations and development of quantitative statistical analysis, Beck traces the evolution of probability, statistics, and political science through the 19th and early 20th centuries. He explores crucial themes and methods, covering measurement, neural nets, multiple regression, and maximum likelihood. Chapters shed light on data complications and other pivotal topics that are currently reshaping the field, including causality, networks, and the analysis of textual and visual data. Addressing real cases from the political science sphere, Beck investigates contemporary critiques of statistical hypothesis testing and proposes innovative ways of differentiating between models. Presenting a unique perspective on quantitative research methods, Understanding Political Methodology is a necessary resource for scholars and students of political science, sociology, public policy, and any social scientist using or teaching quantitative methods.