1. Interviews Cornel Ban

2. Types • Structured • Unstructured • Semi-structured

3. Selection • Fill in pieces of a puzzle • Confirm the proper alignment of pieces already in place • If one aims to make inferences about a larger population, then one must draw a systematic sample. • Representative sampling or targeted systematic selection is best in elite-level studies

4. Getting contacts • Pre-arranged • Local imprimatur • Gatekeepers

5. Tips • Email/letter describing the broad goals of the interview and the final output • Prepare a 2 minute blurb to have it ready before the interview • Start with questions about the respondent and the go to the open-ended questions • The last questions should be paraphrased by your hypotheses • Confrontational strategies

6. What they map out • political attitudes, values, and beliefs • process tracing in analytic narratives