An Analysis of Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method by Arend Lijphart Essay
chat.onload(function(chats, online) var link ("content1chatid") link.onclick function(e) chat.openrandom(0) return false ) chat.onupdate(function(chats, online) )The article Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method by Arend Lijphart draws up special attention to a definition and a detailed explanation of the comparative method in the politics. The author provides a scope of key issues to be taken into account in order to have the idea of the comparative approach. Thus, it is stated that the comparative method should not be confused with or equal to the experimental and statistical methods, as it is "a very imperfect substitute" (Lijphart 1971, 685).The author identifies a set of weaknesses and strengths of the comparative method without giving more attention to it, as they are needful to show a bunch of possibilities due to the aforementioned method. The pivotal idea as for the weaknesses of the method is concisely based on "many variables, small number of cases" (Lijphart 1971, 685). In this respect the cross-national analysis should touch upon the statistical and experimental methods in order to get the real picture of current political affairs. On the other hand, it is closely related to a bilateral approach of "macro hypotheses" and "micro replications" (Lijphart 1971, 685).Hence, the theorist, Arend Lijphart is more likely to designate the place of the comparative method pursuant to the attributive parameters gained in the societies, namely individuals, nations, gender, age, status, etc. This idea is more developed in the further ways of diminishing many variables and small number of cases, as it has been mentioned above. The question is about a four-faceted instruction by the author as applied to reduce weaknesses of the comparative methods in comparative politics. First, it is necessary to "increase the number of cases as much as possible" (Lijphart 1971, 686). Social science depends on the social and geo-political situation in the world. However, with the implication of different theories in politics (Parsonian, Almond's, etc.),...
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