a historical comparative research

Comparative Historical Analysis, A Methodological Perspective

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• Frank L. K. Ohemeng 2  

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Definitions

Comparative historical analysis is concerned with causal analysis, an emphasis on processes over time, and the use of systematic and contextualized comparison (Mahoney and Rueschemeyer 2003a ).

Comparative historical analysis is a field of research characterized by the use of systematic comparison and the analysis of processes over time to explain large-scale outcomes such as revolutions, political regimes, and welfare states. It can be distinguished from other approaches within historical sociology, such as rational choice analysis and interpretive analysis (Mahoney and Rueschemeyer 2003a ).

Introduction

Among ways of understanding social issues, one that has best stood the test of time is comparative historical analysis (CHA) (Lange 2013 ; Mahoney and Rueschemeyer 2003a ; Mahoney and Terrie 2008 ). Although it has been around as long as anyone can remember, it is, as a number of scholars have noted, only in the past 30...

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Frank L. K. Ohemeng

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Ohemeng, F.L.K. (2020). Comparative Historical Analysis, A Methodological Perspective. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_1205-1

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_1205-1

Received : 20 May 2020

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Published : 14 July 2020

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DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

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Comparative Historical Analysis

Comparative-historical analysis (CHA) is part of a longstanding intellectual tradition that seeks to explain substantively important outcomes through a distinctive set of methodological and theoretical tools. CHA is defined by a concern with causal analysis, an emphasis on temporally-oriented analysis, and the use of systematic, case-based comparative research.

The Department of Political Science features a prominent group of faculty who work in this field. The central meeting place for scholars of CHA at Northwestern is the Comparative-Historical Social Science program. CHA also intersects with African Politics , American Political Development , Conflict Studies , Democratization, European Politics , Latin America , Middle East Politics , and Political Parties . Many fruitful collaborations and exchanges are also had with our colleagues in the Department of Sociology .

CHA faculty in the Political Science department include:

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34 Comparative Historical Analysis

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Comparative historical analysis (CHA) is a long-standing, influential research tradition, which has generated foundational texts of political science and sociology as well as 20th-century “classics.” It continues to foster scholarship committed to asking “big” questions of substantial real-world importance and developing, in response, novel theoretical frameworks that push beyond conventional wisdoms. CHA’s theory is inductively developed through in-depth case study comparisons of a small number of cases. It prioritizes historical narratives that explicitly and meticulously detail the sequence and ways in which a configuration of factors influences their chosen outcome. CHA is committed not just to establishing but also to unpacking the how of a causal relationship.

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Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.

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