Research Methods
Numerical information that can be counted, measured, and analyzed statistically.
What is quantitative data?
The people and institutions authorized to make, implement, and enforce binding decisions.
What is government?
A political system in which citizens have meaningful opportunities to influence government, including through competitive elections.
What is democracy?
The process through which a political system moves toward more democratic governance and protections for rights.
What is democratization?
An association between two variables that does not, by itself, prove that one causes the other.
What is correlation?
A community of people connected by a shared national identity, history, or culture.
What is a nation?
The principle that government officials and citizens are subject to law rather than arbitrary decisions.
What is the rule of law?
The right of all adult citizens to vote, subject to legitimate eligibility requirements.
What is universal suffrage?
A relationship in which a change in one factor contributes to a change in another factor.
What is causation?
The fundamental rules and institutions that determine how political power is obtained and exercised.
What is a regime?
A regime combining democratic features, such as elections, with authoritarian practices that undermine genuine competition.
What is a hybrid regime?
Elections in which candidates or parties have a genuine opportunity to compete for office.
What are competitive elections?
The factor a researcher examines as a possible cause or influence.
What is the independent variable?
The supreme legal authority of a state over its territory and population, including independence from external control.
What is sovereignty?
An extreme form of authoritarian rule that seeks extensive control over political, social, and sometimes private life.
What is totalitarianism?
An electoral system designed to allocate legislative seats to parties in proportion to their share of the vote.
What is proportional representation?
A conclusion drawn from available political evidence or data.
What is political inference?
A system in which authority is constitutionally divided between national and subnational governments.
What is a federal system?
A sudden, often unlawful seizure of government power by a small group, frequently involving military actors.
What is a coup d'état?
A major, often rapid or disruptive transformation of a political system, regime, or social order.
What is a revolution?