Research Question and

Research Design
• Theory: if there is a high rate of economic
growth, the incumbent president is usually
reelected.
• Observation 1: There was a high rate of
economic growth in the USA in 1996.
• Observation 2: Therefore, President Clinton,
the incumbent president, was reelected in the
presidential elections of 1996.

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Research Questions and Research Design

• Scientific research, like any other serious

intellectual investigation, begins with a
question that the research is intended to
answer.

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 Criteria for Good Research Question
• The first criterion is clarity. A research question must be specific enough to
give direction to the research, and general enough that it suggests what a
possible answer would be.
• The second criterion is testability. The research question must be one that
can be potentially answered by empirical inquiry.
• Another criterion is theoretical significance. Answering the question
should potentially increase our general knowledge and understanding of the
topic.
• A similar criterion is practical relevance. Answering the research
question should be useful in some real-life application.
• A final criterion is originality. This does not mean that a research question
must be completely new, but it does mean that the answer should not be so
well established that there is little reason to expect a different outcome.

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– E.g. Turkey-EU relations
• Should Turkey become a member of the EU?
• Why should Turkey become a member of the EU?
• Is there any possibility that Turkey become a member of the
EU in the near future?
• Why has not Turkey been accepted to the EU?
• How did the economic growth in Turkey during the 1990s
affect Turkey’s prospect of membership to the EU?
• Does Turkey’s economic growth increase the probability of
Turkish membership to the EU?
• Does the level of democracy in candidate countries
positively affect its prospect of membership to the EU?
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 Definitions
• A hypothesis is simply an empirical statement
derived from a theory.
• If the hypothesis is confirmed by empirical
observation, then our confidence in the general
theory is increased. However, if a hypothesis is
not confirmed, we must question the validity of
the theory from which it was derived.
• A variable is an empirical property that can
take on two or more different values.
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From Theory to Hypothesis

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• Independent variables are those presumed in the theory
underlying the hypothesis to be the cause and dependent
variables are the effects or consequences.
• The control variable takes on a third theoretical role. Control
variables are additional variables that may affect the
relationship between the independent and dependent variables.
• When control variables are used, the intent is to ensure that
their effects are excluded-that is, to ensure that it is not these
variables that are in fact responsible for the variations observed
in the dependent variable.
• The unit of analysis in the hypothesis is the objects that the
hypothesis describes.
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Operationalization

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Graham’s Hiearchy of Disagreement

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 References
• Bruce L. Berg (2001), Qualitative Research Methods for the Social
Sciences, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Lisa Harrison (2001), Political Research: An Introduction, London:
Routledge.
• David Howarth and Jacob Torfing (eds.) (2005), Discourse Theory in
European Politics: Identity, Policy and Governance, Basingstoke:
Palgrave Macmillan, pp.316-349.
• John Gerring (2007), Case Study Research: Principles and Practices,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007, ch.2 and 3.
• Todd Landman (2008), Issues and Methods in Comparative Politics:
An Introduction, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 3 rd Edition, ch.2.
• W. Lawrence Neuman (2014), Social Research Methods: Qualitative and
Quantitative Approaches, Essex, England: Pearson Education, 7th Edition.

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