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Field Research in Developing Countries: Hitting the RoadRunning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2009

Shareen Hertel ,
Matthew M. Singer  and
Donna Lee Van Cott
Shareen Hertel
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
Matthew M. Singer
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
Donna Lee Van Cott
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
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Extract

The availability of relatively reliable and comparable data onlineand the increasing emphasis on statistical and formal researchmethods has led many political scientists to dismiss research inforeign countries as a waste of time and money. We leave that debateto others (see, e.g., Comparative Politics Organized Section 2005; Qualitative MethodsOrganized Section 2004).Instead, we offer suggestions for maximizing the contributions offieldwork to the production of original research. We pay particularattention to research in developing countries owing to the uniquechallenges of undertaking research there, but we believe ourinsights are applicable to field research more generally.

Type
Symposium
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 42 , Issue 2 , April 2009 , pp. 305 - 309
Copyright
Copyright © The American Political Science Association 2009

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