From Model Building
to Research Mapping

by Dr. Alex Liu

 

  • Preface 

    •  

  • I. Alex's Journey of Method Learning

    •  

  • II. Limits of Model Building Approach 

    •  

  • III. Introduction to ResearchMap

    •  

  • IV. Success Cases of Using ResearchMap

    •  

  • V. A Note of Causality Automation

    •  

  • VI. A Quantitative Research Example:
    Political Participation and
    Dissatisfaction with Democracy

    •  

  • VII. A Qualitative Research Example:
    ICT and Democracy in China

    •  

  • VIII. A Measurement Example:
    Index Correlation and Reliability
    of Democracy Measures

    •  

  • Conclusion: From Model Building
    to Research Mapping

    •  

  • References

    •  

 

•

Preface

 

This book is about the right research methods for empirical social studies, and also about the newest computing tools made available by the greatest progress in our era.

The current computing progress not only brings to us more and more information to process, but also brings to us more and more software tools to analyze datasets. With these progresses, interdisciplinary approach to data analysis is necessary and also easy.  With these progresses, the qualitative vs. quantitative separation in social research needs be removed.

From other perspective, this book is also a summary of author's methods exploration and its results. The first chapter details the author's own journey, while chapter 2 and chapter 3 summarizes some of its results with chapter 4 to report its impacts.

Without moving out from the modeling paradigm to mapping paradigm, and fully utilizing the power offered by the newest computing technologies, any empirical research could lead to failure or great limitations the least. Chapters 5 through 8 offer some these examples.

In the concluding chapter, the author hopes to give a more detailed description about the necessity and benefits of moving from modeling to mapping.

 

 by Alex Liu in 2006 Summer

•

Copyright @ 2006-2008  the RM Institute