Size doesn't matter: In defense of single-state studies

Nicholson-Crotty, Sean and Meier, Kenneth John ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6378-0855 2002. Size doesn't matter: In defense of single-state studies. State Politics and Policy Quarterly 2 (4) , pp. 411-422. 10.1177/153244000200200405

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Abstract

Despite the bias against such studies in our discipline, we argue that research designs focusing on a single state are sometimes preferable to those employing data from all 50 states. Single state studies are appropriate when the researcher wishes to generalize to a unit of analysis other than the states themselves, when conditions in a given state provide a unique opportunity for the most rigorous test of a hypothesis, and when the measurement advantages of a single-state study outweigh the costs of limited generalization. We draw on a range of literature to reinforce our primary contention, that it is soundness of theory and rigor of analysis, rather than the number of states, that makes research valid and important.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Business (Including Economics)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) J Political Science > JK Political institutions (United States)
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	1532-4400
Last Modified:	21 Oct 2022 10:54
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/41664

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