Description
Book SynopsisA vital resource for graduate students in political science that provides discipline-specific training in selecting interviewees, conducting interviews, and using the data thus collected.
Trade ReviewApart from its value for filling a gap in the literature, this book has one additional merit: it reflects the epistemological diversity within the discipline, facilitating a dialogue between the positivist and interpretivist scholars. Overall, the book is a valuable source for understanding the key challenges behind interview-based research—such as ethics, sampling, validity, and reliability—and also contains practical advice for coping with interviews in the different stages of research.
-- Israel Solorio Sandoval * Political Studies Review *
Table of ContentsIntroduction. "Just Talk to People"? Interviews in Contemporary Political Science
by Layna MosleyPart I. General Considerations: Research Design, Ethics, and the Role of the Researcher1. Aligning Sampling Strategies with Analytic Goals
by Julia Lynch2. The Ethical Treatment of Human Subjects and the Institutional Review Board Process
by Sarah M. Brooks3. The Power of the Interviewer
by Lauren M. MacLean4. How to Report Interview Data
by Erik Bleich and Robert PekkanenPart II. Addressing the Challenges of Interview Research5. Crafting Interviews to Capture Cause and Effect
by Cathie Jo Martin6. Using Proxy Interviewing to Address Sensitive Topics
by Melani Cammett7. Working with Interpreters
by Lee Ann Fujii8. The Problem of Extraterritorial Legality
by William RenoPart III. Putting It All Together: The Varied Uses of Interview Data9. Capturing Meaning and Confronting Measurement
by Mary Gallagher10. Elite Interviewing in Washington, D.C.
by Matthew N. Beckmann and Richard L. Hall11. Lessons from the "Lobbying and Policy Change" Project
by Beth L. Leech, Frank R. Baumgartner, Jeffrey M. Berry, Marie Hojnacki, and David C. Kimball12. Using Interviews to Understand Racial Group Identity and Political Behavior
by Reuel R. RogersAppendix: Sample Materials for Interview ResearchNotes
References
Index
