ABSTRACT
The previous chapters have introduced the many reasons for comparison and outlined briefly the different methods for comparing countries, as well as examining the many associated problems of comparison and solutions to those problems that are available for comparativists. This chapter addresses one form of comparison in which a large sample of countries is compared simultaneously in an effort to arrive at a set of empirical generalizations about a particular topic in comparative politics. As we shall see, the substantive topics in Part II of this book have been examined using this method of comparison, and each discusses the various strengths and weaknesses of this method with reference to the other main methods of comparison. In order to provide a better sense and understanding of this method of comparison, this chapter outlines the main assumptions that lie behind it, discusses the advantages with adopting it, outlines the problem of measurement, introduces the main features of regression analysis, and concludes with a discussion of the limitations of this method as a way to anticipate the content of the next two chapters on comparing few countries ( Chapter 4 ) and singlecountry studies ( Chapter 5 ).
