Handbook of Research Methods in International Relations

Drawing together international experts on research methods in International Relations (IR), this Handbook answers the complex practical questions for those approaching a new research topic for the first time. Innovative in its approach, it considers the art of IR research as well as the science, offering diverse perspectives on current research methods and emerging developments in the field. Empirical chapters are split into five distinct parts guiding the reader through the research process, covering the key topics including scope and methods, concepts, data and techniques and tools and applications. Highlighting the wide-ranging differences in the topic, the illustrative case studies and research models also provide guidance on how and when to use these tools, including how to evaluate research at the start and end of projects. Furthermore, it examines how to publish research and provides advice on how to manage a research team. This informative read will provide an excellent resource for established researchers taking on new projects, rethinking their approach to IR or those interested in learning new methods. Students and scholars of international politics and public policy as well as social scientists will also find this illuminating and instructive.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Introduction: international relations as interdisciplinary research 1 R. Joseph Huddleston, Thomas Jamieson, and Patrick James PART I INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: SCOPE AND METHODS 1 Doing international relations 7 Ross James Gildea and Andrea Ruggeri 2 Epistemology: logic, causality, and explanation 25 Simon Frankel Pratt 3 Critical approaches 41 Leigh Spanner 4 Conceptualization, measurement, and data 63 Jenifer Whitten-Woodring 5 Historical methods 74 Norrin M. Ripsman 6 Systems analysis: systemism and the Visual International Relations Project 89 Sarah Gansen and Patrick James PART II APPROACHES: EXPLAINING INTERACTIONS 7 International relations and regime type 105 Inken von Borzyskowski and Mert Kartal 8 International organizations and world politics 140 George Kyris 9 State and non-state actors in world politics 155 Efe Tokdemir and Seden Akcinaroglu 10 International regime complexes 171 Mark Raymond 11 International (global) political economy 186 Lui Hebron 12 Feminist methods in international relations research 202 Melissa Johnston PART III GETTING STARTED WITH RESEARCH: CONCEPTS, DATA, AND TECHNIQUES 13 Using theory to choose an empirical research strategy 221 Emily Hencken Ritter 14 What kind of data is appropriate for my question? Choosing a unit of analysis 245 Elsy Gonzalez and Paul Poast 15 Choose your own estimator (or perish trying) 259 Christopher K. Butler and Weidong Zhang 16 Causal pathway analysis and matching: a practical guide 271 Jeb Barnes and Nicholas Weller 17 Challenges and payoffs of building a dataset from scratch 288 Jessica Maves Braithwaite 18 Think locally, regress globally: making the most of conventional IR data 305 Carlos Felipe Balcazar and Matt Malis 19 Non-state actors, civil wars, and other units of analysis 329 Michael A. Rubin 20 Text as data 350 Peter B. Cuppernull and Rochelle Layla Terman 21 Big data 370 Eric Min 22 Political research with social media data 392 Samuel E. Bestvater 23 Dealing with missing and incomplete data 413 Miriam Barnum PART IV RESEARCH TOOLS AND APPLICATIONS 24 Regression analysis 435 Giacomo Chiozza 25 Survival analysis in international relations 456 Myriam Shiran and Patrick E. Shea 26 Network analysis 477 Elizabeth J. Menninga and Lindsey A. Goldberg 27 Formal theory: an informal discussion 495 Julianne Phillips 28 A brief glance into qualitative methods for international relations 517 Reyna L. Reyes Nunez 29 Planning, conducting, and analyzing interviews 536 M.P. Broache 30 Mixed methods research 558 Dana El Kurd 31 Digging through documents: the promise, problems, and prospects of archival research for international relations 571 Joshua Shifrinson 32 Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) 595 Alrik Thiem 33 Interpretivism in international relations research 617 Lucas Knotter 34 Case study analysis 639 Luai Ali PART V EVALUATION AND RELEVANCE OF RESEARCH RESULTS 35 The political and policy relevance of our research 657 Bridget L. Coggins 36 How to publish in academic journals 679 Marijke Breuning and John Ishiyama 37 Navigating the ethics of human subjects research 696 Jennifer Roglà 38 Research labs: concept, utility, and application 717 Kelebogile Zvobgo 39 Perverse effects, potential harms, and international relations research in the world 736 Laura Sjoberg and Jonathon Whooley Index

About the Author :
Edited by R. Joseph Huddleston, Assistant Professor, School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University, US, Thomas Jamieson, School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and Patrick James, Dornsife Dean's Professer Emeritus, School of International Relations, Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, US

Review :
‘In Handbook of Research Methods in International Relations, the editors have brought together leading IR scholars to describe how they conduct their research. The result is a highly usable how-to guide on best research practices in international relations. The Handbook takes the reader on a guided tour through the tools of the trade—including interpretivist techniques, archival research, qualitative case study analysis, elite interviewing, and quantitative techniques such as social network analysis, computer-aided text analysis and formal modeling. The result is a must-have primer on how to conduct IR research from scholars who consistently publish in the top journals and presses in the field.’ ‘Handbook of Research Methods in International Relations is a superb Handbook that offers students and scholars a highly useful guide for conducting research in International Relations. The chapters are expertly written and address a wide range of methods in IR – from formal modeling to critical theory. With its emphasis on the relevance and evaluation of results, the Handbook also serves as an invaluable starting point for producing engaged research into today’s issues, trends, and crises.’ ‘This Handbook aims to address the diversity of research questions and methods used by researchers in International Relations. It emphasizes both the “art and science” of IR research, from the choice of topics, the identification of appropriate methods, and the shaping of research and findings for wider policy applications. Among the key questions addressed is how might quantitative and qualitative data be brought together in order to test theory effectively? In summary, the Handbook is a reference work that anyone in the field of IR will find helpful with their research.’ ‘The Handbook of Research Methods in International Relations is a valuable and well organized volume. The highly useful and cohesive approach of the editors brings entries from an exceptional set of contributors who collectively move from foundational matters and the context of core International Relations subfields and issues through critical research design and research tool choices and applications.’