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Let's Not Go There: Coping with (Pre-)Selection Bias in Collaborative Field Research
Da nicht hingehen: mit dem (pre-)selection Bias in der kollaborativen Feldforschung zurecht kommen
[journal article]
Abstract "Field research in China often requires the researcher to cooperate with two kinds of actors: research collaborators, such as those at universities or official think tanks, and local officials. These actors facilitate or enhance field access, but such access comes at the price of a potential 'pre-se... view more
"Field research in China often requires the researcher to cooperate with two kinds of actors: research collaborators, such as those at universities or official think tanks, and local officials. These actors facilitate or enhance field access, but such access comes at the price of a potential 'pre-selection bias' in data collection. Some scholars have argued that dependence on these 'gatekeepers' introduces a significant bias into research outcomes. I argue, however, that the constraints faced by China scholars in their field studies are not absolute, but function by degree. The CCP is monolithic neither in its organization nor in the thoughts of its agents, and close collaboration with local partners can help remove normative bias rather than necessarily introducing it. Most importantly, an argument built exclusively on the power of structural constraints discounts China scholars' most crucial abilities: to learn, to think critically and to research holistically." (author's abstract)... view less
Keywords
international cooperation; field research; China; representativity; Far East; developing country; Asia
Classification
Sociology of Science, Sociology of Technology, Research on Science and Technology
Research Design
Document language
English
Publication Year
2014
Page/Pages
p. 87-106
Journal
Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, 43 (2014) 2
Issue topic
The Entanglement between Science and Politics
ISSN
1868-1026
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed