Cross-national research
Encyclopedia
In social science disciplines such as sociology
, political science
, geography
, and economics
, cross-national research is the technique of analyzing an event or process that takes place within a country, while comparing the way that event or process takes place across many different countries. Cross-national research may be qualitative, as in Theda Skocpol
's States and Social Revolutions. Alternatively, it may be quantitative, as in Seymour Martin Lipset
's research on modernization theory.
Cross-national research is a subject of debate. Some scholars object because this kind of research involves comparing dissimilar countries and cultures, while others argue that cross-national quantitative analysis requires unrealistic assumptions. Others defend the research practice, arguing that it may be problematic but it provides a tool for answering questions that would otherwise be unanswerable.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, cross-national research is the technique of analyzing an event or process that takes place within a country, while comparing the way that event or process takes place across many different countries. Cross-national research may be qualitative, as in Theda Skocpol
Theda Skocpol
Theda Skocpol is an American sociologist and political scientist at Harvard University. She served from 2005 to 2007 as Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She is influential in sociology as an advocate of the historical-institutional and comparative approaches, and well-known in...
's States and Social Revolutions. Alternatively, it may be quantitative, as in Seymour Martin Lipset
Seymour Martin Lipset
Seymour Martin Lipset was an American political sociologist, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and the Hazel Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University. His major work was in the fields of political sociology, trade union organization, social stratification, public opinion, and...
's research on modernization theory.
Cross-national research is a subject of debate. Some scholars object because this kind of research involves comparing dissimilar countries and cultures, while others argue that cross-national quantitative analysis requires unrealistic assumptions. Others defend the research practice, arguing that it may be problematic but it provides a tool for answering questions that would otherwise be unanswerable.