Research Methods: Types of Data

Types of Data

• Empirical data is fact-based information from observation or experimentation
• Normative statement is a value or opinion statement that cannot be proven or disproven
• Quantitative data is information that can be measured with numbers
• Qualitative data is information that is difficult to measure, including sources such as speeches, foundational documents, political cartoons, maps, and political commentaries

Correlation and Causation

• Correlation exists when there is an association between two or more variables
• Causal relationships are difficult to determine with certainty in comparative politics, as often there are numerous variables that potentially influence political policies and/or regime stability

Economic Indicators

• Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development, including statistics about life expectancy, amount of schooling, and income
• Gross domestic product (GDP) is the market value of goods and services produced over a certain time in a country
• GDP per capita reflects the size of the national economy in comparison with the population size
• GDP growth rate shows the rate of national economic expansion
• Gini index shows income inequality within a country, with a Gini of 100% indicating perfect inequality and a Gini of 0% indicating perfect equality

Political Indicators

• Freedom House scores rank countries based on scores for political rights and civil liberties
• Governmental transparency is the ability of citizens to access information about a government’s policy making and policy implementation to help hold officials accountable
• Governmental corruption is when public officials abuse power for personal benefit
• The Fragile States Index assesses and ranks countries based on their potential to weaken due to conflicts and domestic turmoil

Political Systems and Components

• Political systems comprise the laws, ideas, and procedures that address who should have authority to rule and what the government’s influence on its people and economy should be
• States are political organizations that combine a permanent population with governing institutions that exercise control over a defined territory with international recognition
• Regimes refer to the fundamental rules that control access to and the exercise of political power
• Government is the set of institutions or individuals legally empowered to make binding decisions for a state
• Nation is a group of people with shared commonalities, including race, religion, language, ethnicity, political identity, and aspirations
• Sovereignty is a state's ability to make binding decisions for its population and territory without outside interference
• Rule of law is the principle that a state should be governed by known laws and not arbitrary decisions made by individual government officials