Political Analysis

A Guide to Data and Statistics

Matthew Loveless

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Hardback

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English

Sage Publications Ltd
29 March 2023

Research methods: general; Political science & theory

Political Analysis offers a comprehensive introduction to the use of statistics in political science. It is an instructive, helpful, and entertaining guide to the most common and up-to-date techniques used by political scientists and non-academic policy researchers alike. Following a detailed introduction of the scientific method and elements central to a successful research design, Political Analysis covers descriptive and inferential statistical techniques up to categorical dependent variable models, with additional sections outlining potential next steps.

This textbook is set apart from others in four key areas:
* First, statistical concepts, techniques, and terminology are presented with a focus on student conceptual comprehension. Each chapter builds from an intuitive, easy-to-grasp description of the topic and moves toward a fuller more technical discussion that facilitates cumulative and clearer student understanding as well as longer retention.
* Second, examples and activities in the book draw from the field of Comparative Politics and includes topics more relevant to non-American political science students' interests. Exercises and examples come from a wide range of political science topics in different geographic areas. This does not necessarily exclude an American audience but rather orients topics and examples toward a non-US audience.
* Third, Political Analysis is not designed for any one statistical program. This increases flexibility for instructor preferences and underpins conceptual comprehension focusing more the intuition of statistics and less on computational skills.
* Finally, Political Analysis has been designed to minimize its impact on the environment. It is both more compact and more online.

Students who use this book should gain a comprehensive understanding of the logic and intuition of the most common statistical techniques found in the social sciences, a clear understanding of the applicability of statistics to various types of data and questions, and the ability to independently select the most appropriate statistical techniques and correctly interpret the results.

By: Matthew Loveless
Imprint: Sage Publications Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 242mm, Width: 170mm,
Weight: 1.010kg
ISBN: 9781529774849
ISBN 10: 1529774845
Pages: 504
Publication Date: 29 March 2023
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Matthew Loveless is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Bologna (Italy). He is also co-founder of the Center for Research and Social Progress. He has taught quantitative methods to undergraduate and graduate students since 2003. He has held academic positions in the United States (Georgetown University; University of Mississippi), the United Kingdom (Nuffield Fellow, Oxford; University of Kent), and Italy (Jean Monnet Fellow, European University Institute, Florence; University of Bologna) in addition to visiting positions at Sciences Po – Institut d′Etudes Politiques de Grenoble (France), the University of Georgia (USA); Davison College (USA); St. Antony’s College (Oxford, UK); Mannheimer Zentrum für Europäische Sozialforschung: (Germany), and the University of Debrecen (Hungary). His research interests include in the field of Political Behavior in Europe, particularly as it relates to how individuals perceive and make sense of politics (recent examples focusing on political attitudes include International Political Science Review, Political Studies, the Journal of European Public Policy). Recent publications also include co-authored work that incorporate party competition with recent publications in Government and Opposition, Electoral Studies, and the Journal of Common Market Studies. He lives with his family in Italy.

Reviews for Political Analysis: A Guide to Data and Statistics

"Written in clear, engaging and entertaining way, this indispensable book offers students everything they need to master the fundamentals of political analysis, offering an accessible entry-point to what is often an intimidating topic. This will be top of my next syllabus! -- Dr Govinda Clayton Explanations are clear, illustrations well chosen, and language simple but precise. Intuition is praised without sacrificing rigour. Equations are kept to the minimum but all essential statistical concepts are covered. This is a very good foundational textbook, best for undergraduate-level beginners in Data Analysis, in Political Science and probably beyond. It would work well as an accompaniment to a class, yet its style is fluid and colourful enough to be just as suitable for independent reading. Piqued by the growing Data Science approach, and by the realisation of its own past excesses, Political Data Analysis teaching is gently but surely moving away from what Loveless rightly names the ""heavy hammer"" of econometrics. This experienced teacher contributes nicely to that move in this new textbook. -- Philippe Blanchard Loveless provides a clear and highly approachable introduction to use of data and statistics for answering social science questions. Political Analysis offers a valuable guide for budding quantitative methodologists on their journey from the foundations of scientific inquiry and research design to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. It will appeal to newcomers and more advanced students alike, written in a way that alleviates any anxiety about learning statistics. -- Travis Coan"