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Theoretical implicatons of comparative survey research: why the wheel of cross-cultural methodology keeps on being reinvented
Theoretische Implikationen der vergleichenden Sozialforschung: warum das Rad der interkulturellen vergleichenden Methodologie immer wieder erfunden wird.
[journal article]
Abstract Der vorliegende Beitrag resümiert einige frühere Arbeiten zu methodologischen Problemen der vergleichenden Sozialforschung. Der Autor konstatiert keine entscheidenden Fortschritte, sondern sieht eher die Gefahr, daß gegenwärtig hinter die erreichten methodologischen Standards zurückgefallen wird. Im... view more
Der vorliegende Beitrag resümiert einige frühere Arbeiten zu methodologischen Problemen der vergleichenden Sozialforschung. Der Autor konstatiert keine entscheidenden Fortschritte, sondern sieht eher die Gefahr, daß gegenwärtig hinter die erreichten methodologischen Standards zurückgefallen wird. Im Zentrum der Ausführungen steht 'Galton's Problem', d.h. die Annahme, daß die untersuchten Länder voneinander unabhängige Fälle sind. Diese Annahme führt zu Schwierigkeiten bei der Behandlung von Fragen von nationaler und kultureller Diffusion und der Überprüfung von 'one-point measurements'. Vergleichende Forschung impliziert Mehrebenenansätze. Die Bedeutung der nationalen Kontexte sollte daher theoretisch stärker berücksichtigt werden. (pmb)... view less
'Reviewing the earlier literature on methodological issues in comparative research, the paper argues that 'in terms of methodology in abstracto and on issues of research technology, most of all that needed to be said has already been published.' Yet the actual research falls short of this available ... view more
'Reviewing the earlier literature on methodological issues in comparative research, the paper argues that 'in terms of methodology in abstracto and on issues of research technology, most of all that needed to be said has already been published.' Yet the actual research falls short of this available knowledge. Famous publications based on comparative research are really promulgators of research artefacts. Three goals are being emphasized: (a) to counteract the tendency to reinvent the methodological wheel; (b) to help with ex post interpretations of data from cross-national research; (c) to use the difficulties and pay-offs in comparisons for substantive insights. Thus, 'Galton's Problem' - treating countries as independent cases - forces an evaluation of the pervasiveness of diffusion vs. cultural/national identity. The low stability of many measures requires rethinking the meaning of one-point measurements. Comparative surveys are by implication cross-level research. Therefore, the use of country-names as explanans requires theoretical notions about the nation as context for actors and institutions.' (author's abstract)... view less
Keywords
comparison; methodology; international comparison; empirical social research; multi-level analysis
Classification
Sociology of Science, Sociology of Technology, Research on Science and Technology
Methods and Techniques of Data Collection and Data Analysis, Statistical Methods, Computer Methods
Method
epistemological; documentation; basic research
Document language
English
Publication Year
1993
Page/Pages
p. 172-195
Journal
Historical Social Research, 18 (1993) 2
DOI
https://doi.org/10.12759/hsr.18.1993.2.172-195
ISSN
0172-6404
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed