Public Affairs Research Methods: A Quantitative Introduction

This comprehensive introductory text is relevant to research methods in tradtitional disciplines such as political science, political economy, public administration, public policy, government relations and international relations. It also goes beyond a limited disciplinary focus and provides definition and meaning to the emerging field of public affairs. The entire research process from conception to analysis and reporting is covered in detail. Initial chapters provide a solid grounding in the logic of research problems, followed by detailed material on measurement and data colection. Remaining chapters give an introduction to basic techniques of univariate analysis, association and correlation and , finally, techniques such as regression and their use in estimating impacts of variables on other variables. Little mathematical background is assumed, and most technical material is dealt with in terms of simple verbal explanations and illustrations.