The Fundamentals of Political Science Research

Paul M. Kellstedt is Professor of Political Science at Texas A & M University. He is the author of The Mass Media and the Dynamics of Racial Attitudes (Cambridge, 2003), winner of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government's 2004 Goldsmith Book Prize. In addition, he has published numerous articles in a variety of leading journals. He is the recently named editor-in-chief of Political Science Research and Methods, the flagship journal of the European Political Science Association. Guy D. Whitten is Professor of Political Science, as well as the Director of the European Union Center, at Texas A & M University. He has published a variety of articles in leading peer-reviewed journals. He is on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Political Science, Electoral Studies and Political Science Research and Methods.

Preface to the third edition; Acknowledgements to the third edition; Acknowledgements to the second edition; Acknowledgements to the first edition; 1. The scientific study of politics; 2. The art of theory building; 3. Evaluating causal relationships; 4. Research design; 5. Measuring concepts of interest; 6. Getting to know your data; 7. Probability and statistical inference; 8. Bivariate hypothesis testing; 9. Two-variable regression models; 10. Multiple regression: the basics; 11. Multiple regression model specification; 12. Limited dependent variables and time-series data; Appendix A. Critical values of chi-square; Appendix B. Critical values of t; Appendix C. The link function for binomial logit models; Appendix D. The link function for binomial probit models; Bibliography; Index.