Della Porta (2008) ‘Comparative Analysis.’
Citation: Della Porta, Donatella (2008) ‘Comparative Analysis: Case-Oriented Versus Variable-Oriented Research,’ in Donatella della Porta and Michael Keating (eds.) Approaches and Methodologies in the Social Sciences: A Pluralist Perspective, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 198-222.
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Della Porta (2008:198): Both variable-oriented research aiming “at establishing generalised relationships between variables” and case-oriented research that “seeks to understand complex units” are valid research strategies.
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Della Porta (2008:200-201): Identifies three main approaches to comparative analysis: the experimental method, which uses artificial settings to control the effect of any variable changes but which is of limited applicability to many social phenomena; the statistical method, which mathematically elaborates relevant empirical data but requires large samples; and the comparative method (a term sometimes also used to cover all three approaches to comparative analysis), which uses a smaller number of cases and relies on logical reasoning.
Della Porta (2008:202): “in many research designs, the choice of the comparative method is not just a second-best one imposed by the availability of data; rather, it is justified by its capacity to go beyond descriptive statistical measures, towards an in-depth understanding of historical processes and individual motivations.”
Della Porta (2008:206): “In a case-oriented approach, by contrast, an in-depth knowledge of a small number of cases provides the basis for generalizations that are temporarily limited to the cases studied and whose wider relevance should be controlled through further research.” [Important point: I am not proferring general rules and claiming they are universably applicable, rather I am proposing rules applicable to the cases that may warrant further research]
Della Porta (2008:208-209): In variable-oriented research, cases are classified at the beginning; in case-oriented research, determinations of homogeneity, the construction of types, and the allocation of cases to them is part of the research process and may occur at the end.
Della Porta (2008:210): “Case-oriented researchers, on the other hand, oppose the suggestion that increasing the number of cases produces ‘better-determined’ research designs.” Additional cases bring additional variables external to the hypothesis being tested; data limitations increase “the risk of building on insufficiently deep knowledge of each single country [case].
Della Porta (2008:212): In case-oriented research, it is considered legitimate to select cases on the dependent variable