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Gain the skills you need to conduct political analysis and critically assess statistical research.



In this Sixth Edition of The Essentials of Political Science, bestselling authors Philip H. Pollock III and Barry C. Edwards build your analytic abilities and develop your statistical reasoning with new data, fresh exercises, and accessible examples. This brief, accessible guide walks you through the essentials-measuring concepts, formulating and testing hypotheses, describing variables-while using key terms, chapter-opening objectives, over 80 tables and figures, and practical exercises to get you using and applying your new skills. "A great resource to get students up and running on statistical analysis in politics. I recommend this book to all my colleagues. The accompanying workbook for R is also excellent." -- Sarah E. Croco "Pollock and Edwards explain the nuts-and-bolts of research design and data analysis in a clear and concise style. The Essential of Political Analysis is an intuitive introduction to complex material, replete with examples from the political science literature that add relevance to statistical concepts. This text offers students an excellent balance between the technical and the practical." -- Francis Neely "The recent edition of The Essentials of Political Analysis provides a strong foundation in statistics for political science students. The integration between the main textbook and its companion is excellent. The instructor resources present effective teaching tools that complement the book seamlessly." -- Tijen Demirel-Pegg

The Essentials of Political Analysis

Tables, Figures, and Boxes

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Introduction

Facts and Values in Perspective

The Scientific Approach

What This Book Is About

Conclusion

Key Terms

Notes

CHAPTER 1 * The Definition and Measurement of Concepts

Learning Objectives

Conceptual Definitions

Operational Definitions

Measurement Error

Reliability and Validity

Working with Datasets, Codebooks, and Software

Summary

Key Terms

Exercises

Notes

CHAPTER 2 * Measuring and Describing Variables

Learning Objectives

Essential Features

Levels of Measurement

Describing Variables

Transforming Variables

Summary

Key Terms

Exercises

Notes

CHAPTER 3 * Proposing Explanations, Framing Hypotheses, and Making Comparisons

Learning Objectives

"All Models Are Wrong, But Some Are Useful"

Proposing Explanations

Framing Hypotheses

Common Mistakes in Hypothesis Writing

Making Comparisons

Graphing Relationships and Describing Patterns

Summary

Key Terms

Exercises

Notes

CHAPTER 4 * Research Design, Research Ethics, and Evidence of Causation

Learning Objectives

Establishing Causation

Experimental Designs

Selecting Cases for Analysis

Conducting Research Ethically

Summary

Key Terms

Exercises

Notes

CHAPTER 5 * Making Controlled Comparisons

Learning Objectives

The Logic of Controlled Comparisons

Essential Terms and Concepts

Effect of Partisanship on Gun Control Vote, Controlling for Gender: An Illustrative Example

Controlled Mean Comparisons

Identifying Patterns

Advanced Methods of Making Controlled Comparisons

Summary

Key Terms

Exercises

Notes

CHAPTER 6 * Foundations of Statistical Inference

Learning Objectives

Population Parameters and Sample Statistics

The Central Limit Theorem and the Normal Distribution

Quantifying Standard Errors

Confidence Intervals

Sample Size and the Margin of Error of a Poll

Inferences with Small Batches: The Student's t-Distribution

Summary

Key Terms

Exercises

Notes

CHAPTER 7 * Tests of Significance and Measures of Association

Learning Objectives

Statistical Significance and Null Hypothesis Testing

One-Sample Significance Tests

Two-Sample Significance Tests

The Chi-square Test

Measures of Association

Criticisms of Null Hypothesis Testing

Summary

Key Terms

Exercises

Notes

CHAPTER 8 * Correlation and Linear Regression

Learning Objectives

Correlation

Bivariate Regression

Educational Attainment and Voter Turnout in States Example

R-square

Multiple Regression

Some Practical Issues: Multicollinearity, Parsimony, and Missing Data

Analyzing Residuals to Evaluate Linear Regression Models

Summary

Key Terms

Exercises

Notes

CHAPTER 9 * Logistic Regression

Learning Objectives

The Logistic Regression Approach

Logistic Regression Approach to Vote Choice in the 2016 Presidential Election

Finding the Best Fit: Maximum Likelihood Estimation

Logistic Regression with Multiple Independent Variables

Graphing Predicted Probabilities with Multiple Independent Variables

Summary

Key Terms

Exercises

Notes

CHAPTER 10 * Conducting Your Own Political Analysis

Picking a Good Topic

Getting Focused and Staying Motivated

Reviewing Prior Literature

Collecting Data

Writing It Up

Maintain a Scientific Mindset

Key Terms

Exercises

Notes

Index