Politics and Research: Selection Bias in Comparative Politics

Comparative Politics
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Comparative Politics
In her article, Barbara Geddes shows how the cases one chooses in research affect the answers they get. In particular, Geddes focuses on the selection of the dependent variable and how this affects research. The first instance of selection on the dependent variable usually is direct. Geddes provides an example of this using one of the world’s most typical research questions; why do some countries develop more rapidly than others? When answering this research question, Geddes notes that most scholars focus on the factors that make developed countries successful. The problem with this kind of research is that it leads to the collection of information limited to developed countries and the factors that determine their success.
The second instance of selection on the dependent variable is in a path-dependent argument. To illustrate this, the author uses the curious case of revolution. The most favoured explanation of revolution ...