RESEARCH DESIGN

This is the first text to deal systematically with all aspects of the design of social research, covering both theoretical research and policy research. Restrictions in research funding, and current trends towards large-scale research programmes, multidisciplinary research, contract research, and projects jointly funded by a number of agencies, all entail that the overall design and strategy must now be worked out in detail at the front end of a project or research programme. This text presents the options for social research studies in a sufficiently non-technical manner to provide an overview for those who commission and use social research as well as for professional social scientists. Research Design sets out the key features, strengths and limitations of eight main types of study: ad hoc and regular surveys, case studies, qualitative research, longitudinal studies, analyses of data from administrative records, research reviews and experimental studies. It gives illustrations of the kinds of question each study can answer, sets out the contribution of each to the description and explanation of social processes at the micro-level and the macro-level, and discusses strategies for choosing between them, or combining them in research programmes. More general issues in research design discussed include the choice of the unit and level of analysis, focused sampling, replication, the need to deal with conflicting interests in policy research, multidisciplinary research, and the organization, funding and management of research work. The discussion is illustrated throughout with a wide range of examples from both theoretical and policy research. Examples are taken from across the social science disciplines: sociology, economics, political science, psychology, history, geography and social anthropology. Within the policy research field, illustrative examples are chosen from research on health, education, the labour market, crime, family studies, fiscal policy and income maintenance and research on the policy process itself.