Designing and Conducting Field Research

1. Designing and Conducting Field Research Short Course #2 APSA 2009 Instructors: Diana Kapiszewski, UC Irvine Naomi Levy, Santa Clara University Building on a course initially developed and taught by Melani Cammett (Brown University), Marc Morjé Howard (Georgetown University), Evan S. Lieberman (Princeton University), Julia F. Lynch (University of Pennsylvania), Lauren Morris MacLean (Indiana University), Benjamin L. Read (UC Santa Cruz), Scott Straus (University of Wisconsin, Madison) & Sara Watson (Ohio State University)

2. Agenda Part I – Conceptualizing, Designing, and Preparing for Fieldwork (2:15-3:15) Part II – Operating in the Field (3:15-3:50) ~ Break (3:50-4:00) ~ Part III – Interviewing (4:00-5:05) Part IV – Organizing and Analyzing Data & Assessing Progress (5:05-5:50) ~ Break (5:50-6:00) ~ Workshop (6:00-7:00)

3. Where We Are in the Course Part I – Conceptualizing, Designing, and Preparing for Fieldwork (2:15-3:15) 1. Borders and Varieties of Fieldwork 2. Research Design and Fieldwork 3. Preparing for Fieldwork Part II – Operating in the Field (3:15-3:50) * Break (3:50-4:00) Part III – Interviewing (4:00-5:05) Part IV – Organizing, Analyzing, Assessing (5:05-5:50) * Break (5:50-6:00) Workshop (6:00-7:00)

4. Fieldwork in Political Science: What Is It? • Working definition for this course: • Research that requires leaving one’s home institution to gather or generate data • Fieldwork is not delimited to one’s time in the field • Fieldwork is a very iterative process

5. Fieldwork in Political Science: Why Do It? • Is fieldwork still necessary? • We believe so! • Sometimes you just have to BE THERE • to understand complex political dynamics • find/get data • find out about data • Allows building of networks • Provides opportunities • Facilitates path-breaking empirical scholarship • Less tangible reasons

6. Fieldwork in Political Science: Grounds for Caution • Costly in terms of time money • Roadblocks and challenges of all types • Most graduate programs provide little training • Read, read, read on your own!

7. Fieldwork in Political Science: What Does it Look Like? • The pre-dissertation scoping trip • The “surgical strike” short trip • A series of short trips spread out in time • The brief shadow-case foray • Full-blown, “traditional” 1-2 year stay • The follow-up trip

8. Fieldwork in Political Science: What Does it Look Like (cont’d.)? • Selecting the topic • Reading existing literature • Defining the research question • Assessing feasibility • Completed proposal • Follow-up data-gathering Loosely Structured: Open-Ended Research Highly Structured: Narrowly Focused Research

9. Long stays: Pros Experience another culture In-depth research Contacts/network Ideas More relaxed & fun Cons May be far away Lack of urgency “Too much” data ‘Surgical’ strikes: Pros Efficiency Forces you to take stock Identify comparisons/ contrasts quicker Less time away Cons Can be more costly Scheduling difficulties Not enough time Varieties of Fieldwork: Trade-offs

10. Where We Are in the Course Part I – Conceptualizing, Designing, and Preparing for Fieldwork (2:15-3:15) 1. Borders and Varieties of Fieldwork 2. Research Design and Fieldwork 3. Preparing for Fieldwork Part II – Operating in the Field (3:15-3:50) * Break (3:50-4:00) Part III – Interviewing (4:00-5:05) Part IV – Organizing, Analyzing, Assessing (5:05-5:50) * Break (5:50-6:00) Workshop (6:00-7:00)

11. Design-Driven Fieldwork and Fieldwork-Driven Design • Field work must fit your research design • Your design must accommodate field realities • Competing Imperatives • Your ideal research design • Practicality

12. Design-Driven Fieldwork and Fieldwork-Driven Design • Design “do-able” research • Think about your own limitations • Find a way • Think positively • Revise • Think in terms of variables

13. Fieldwork and the Research Design • Nomothetic • Thinking in terms of variables • Idiographic • Thinking in terms of cases

14. Data Matrix

15. Case Selection and Sampling • Selection decisions arise at many stages • Macro-level • Country cases • Meso-level • Regions or Towns • Time periods • Sectors, etc. • Micro-level • Individuals for interviews • Documents for content analysis

16. Multi-country Research • Pros • Can help you on the job market • Can learn more through comparison • Cons • Less depth on each country • Slow you down • Added layer of complexity • Other options • Shadow cases • Multi-case, not multi-country

17. Case Selection and Sampling • Selection decisions arise at many stages • Macro-level • Country cases • Meso-level • Regions or Towns • Time periods • Sectors, etc. • Micro-level • Individuals for interviews • Documents for content analysis

18. Small-N • Use case selection to provide causal leverage • Use a variable-centered approach • Hold rival explanatory variables constant • Allow your primary explanation to vary • Example: Dan Posner (2004) • Macro-level: Zambia & Malawi • Meso-level: Town selection held rival variables constant

19. Posner (2004) Meso-level Selection

20. Large-N • Where possible, use random sampling • This increases the generalizability of your findings • Need a list of the universe of cases • Consider cluster sampling • Sometimes not possible or desirable • Special cases you want to include • Important variation you want to capture

21. Where We Are in the Course Part I – Conceptualizing, Designing, and Preparing for Fieldwork (2:15-3:15) 1. Borders and Varieties of Fieldwork 2. Research Design and Fieldwork 3. Preparing for Fieldwork Part II – Operating in the Field (3:15-3:50) * Break (3:50-4:00) Part III – Interviewing (4:00-5:05) Part IV – Organizing, Analyzing, Assessing (5:05-5:50) * Break (5:50-6:00) Workshop (6:00-7:00)

22. The Months and Weeks Before…Administration • Funding • Make a budget • Apply for lots of money • Timing • Sources • Dealing with your Institutional Review Board • This does not have to be difficult! • Follow the directions, adhere to deadlines • Find out about exemptions and consent

23. The Months and Weeks Before…Intellectual Prep • Dig into your topic • READ!! • Maximize creativity in terms of data sources! • Background research on your country/ies • News • Running lists

24. The Months and Weeks Before…More Intellectual Prep • Begin to write documents • Ways to present your research • One-page description • Interview questions • Contact emails • Collect documents you’ll use in the field • Brush up on methods • Think about your foreign language skills

25. The Months and Weeks Before…Reach Out! • Develop your network of scholars and contact them! • Contact grad students, professors • Network at conferences • Get on listserves • Contact NGOs, think tanks • Email in-country journalists • You are not a bother!

26. The Months and Weeks Before…And Reach Out Some More! • How about a host institution (research affiliation) • How to find a research affiliation • What to consider when choosing an institution with which to affiliate • Get letter early

27. Converting your Research Design into a “To Get” List

28. Example of “To Get” List

29. About the “To Get” List • You can head to the field before you have your entire “to get” list filled out! • Not everything you will need “to get” in the field will be on your “to get” list • To get list • Helps make your project manageable • Is a measure of your progress • Is the link between all the millions of tasks you carry out in the field, and your larger project

30. Where We Are in the Course Part I – Conceptualizing, Designing, and Preparing for Fieldwork (2:15-3:15) Part II – Operating in the Field (3:15-3:50) 1. Interacting in the Field 2. Data Collection * Break (3:50-4:00) Part III – Interviewing (4:00-5:05) Part IV – Organizing, Analyzing, Assessing (5:05-5:50) * Break (5:50-6:00) Workshop (6:00-7:00)

31. Planning Out the First Month:Easing Into Your Research Put Your Toe in the Water! • Make an appointment at your institutional affiliation • Make appointments with local scholars • Begin interviewing potential RAs • Government permission • Absorb local media

32. Interacting in the Field • Self-presentation • Uncomfortable situations • Upside of interactions • Points to ponder about interacting

33. Anticipate Data Collection Challenges • Roadblocks to accessing elites, ordinary citizens, archives, datasets • Affiliate • Network – find a “connection” • Be professional • Reciprocate • Think empathetically • Consider the investment: time, effort, patience, $

34. Hiring Research Assistants (I) • Does It Make Sense? • Pros: • ‘Giving back’ to countries • Can be a great source of information • Building long-term relationships • Cons • Training = time consuming • May cause problems or quit or fail to follow instructions • May introduce bias

35. Hiring Research Assistants (II) • Recruitment • How to find RAs • Interview • What are you offering? • Contract • How much and how to include RAs in your research

36. Where We Are in the Course Part I – Conceptualizing, Designing, and Preparing for Fieldwork (2:15-3:15) Part II – Operating in the Field (3:15-3:50) 1. Interacting in the Field 2. Data Collection * Break (3:50-4:00) Part III – Interviewing (4:00-5:05) Part IV – Organizing, Analyzing, Assessing (5:05-5:50) * Break (5:50-6:00) Workshop (6:00-7:00)

37. Measurement • How do you know variation when you see it? • Conceptual Definition • Operational Definition • Much of the measurement process happens on the fly in the field • Keep detailed notes on your measurement decisions

38. Non-Interactive Data Collection • Observations • Following the local media • Newspapers, magazines, radio and TV • Books & articles • Obtaining Documents & Existing Datasets • Government agencies & Ministries • NGOs • Archival Work

39. Interactive Data Collection • Ethnography • Participant Observation • Large-scale surveys • Interviews • Oral Histories • Focus Groups

40. ChoicesinData Collection • Strengths and Weaknesses • Non-interactive • Documents don’t “react” • Documents and archives can be biased • Interactive • Respondents can provide first-hand account • Respondents might be inaccurate • Triangulate!

41. Triangulation

42. Sequencing and Prioritizing • Feeling overwhelmed? • Distinguish necessary from desirable data • Centrality to core hypotheses or key variables • Other factors to consider in ordering data collection • Overlapping strategies • Harder-to-get vs. easier-to-get data • “Low-risk” vs. “high-risk” contacts • Temporally-tied events • Depth vs. breadth

43. Methods for Capturing Data • Documents • Take notes • Reproduce • Interviews & Focus Groups • Field notes after the fact • Jotted notes during • Audio/Video tape

44. Methods for Capturing Data • Reproducing/Recording Pros • You aren’t just relying on your notes and memory • Capture verbatim quotes • Richer data • Reproducing/Recording Cons • Too much data • Costly • Equipment • Storage • Transportation • Transcription • Recording can make people nervous

45. Where We Are in the Course Part I – Conceptualizing, Designing, and Preparing for Fieldwork (2:15-3:15) Part II – Operating in the Field (3:15-3:50) * Break (3:50-4:00) Part III – Interviewing (4:00-5:05) Part IV – Organizing, Analyzing, Assessing (5:05-5:50) * Break (5:50-6:00) Workshop (6:00-7:00)

46. Where We Are in the Course Part I – Conceptualizing, Designing, and Preparing for Fieldwork (2:15-3:15) Part II – Operating in the Field (3:15-3:50) * Break (3:50-4:00) Part III – Interviewing (4:00-5:05) 1. Preparing and Writing Questions 2. Conducting the Interview/Follow-up Part IV – Organizing, Analyzing, Assessing (5:05-5:50) * Break (5:50-6:00) Workshop (6:00-7:00)

47. InterviewingGeneral Guidelines Do your homework Interview “those who study” before “those who do” Varieties of interviews Structured? Semi-structured? Informal chat? Think about how you’re going to use the data Sampling redux Scheduling interviews Where to conduct the interview

48. Interviewing Writing Interview Protocols (I) • Language • Grand tour vs. open-ended vs. closed qstns. • What’s the goal of the interview? Will your questions produce useful data? • Theoretically motivated/in colloquial terms • What are you asking?! • Asking challenging questions • Weeding questions

49. Interviewing Writing Interview Protocols (II) • Transitional language • Varieties of responses • Keep questions simple and direct • Get local input on your questions • Pretest • Crucial questions: how are you going to analyze and use the data?

50. Where We Are in the Course Part I – Conceptualizing, Designing, and Preparing for Fieldwork (2:15-3:15) Part II – Operating in the Field (3:15-3:50) * Break (3:50-4:00) Part III – Interviewing (4:00-5:05) 1. Preparing and Writing Questions 2. Conducting the Interview/Follow-up Part IV – Organizing, Analyzing, Assessing (5:05-5:50) * Break (5:50-6:00) Workshop (6:00-7:00)