ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines an overview of some of the military-specific issues that large-N and small-N comparative research pose. Both large-N and small-N comparative studies help to provide a richer and more detailed picture, and help researchers to generate generalisable theories, which may enhance author's understanding of international security. A great deal of the seminal social science literature on the military has been focused on nationally specific topics, and the nuances of national strategic cultures are generally held to be important in understanding why states and their militaries vary on questions of defence. The influence of the RAND Corporation's quantitative research on US defence policy during the Cold War has had a substantial impact on how social scientists engage with military research. For any military researcher working on recent or contemporary topics, access to relevant government documents is likely to be heavily restricted.
