Objectives
This course assumes that all PLATO researchers will have access through their own universities or professional associations to methods training needed to complete their PhDs. However, those courses are unlikely to cover the use of research methods in investigating the particular question of legitimacy crisis. Hence, this course has the following aims:
- To help all PLATO researchers decide how they might design their own PhDs as a case study in legitimacy crisis.
- To provide an opportunity for those PLATO researchers who will be using: a) process tracing; b) focus groups, or; c) media content to discuss the general possibilities and problems of those methods, as well as the use of those methods in their own PhDs.
- To promote future co-operation within the PLATO methods clusters.
Course components
Part 1: Case study methods
All PLATO PhD projects are, in one way or another, case studies designed to test PLATO’s common research question of whether the EU has experienced a legitimacy crisis. The course will, therefore, start with a general overview of case study methods.
What are the different kinds of case study? What are the different ways in which case studies can be designed? How can case studies be used to demonstrate causation? How can case studies be used to compare and combine divergent theories? How can case studies be used as sources of theoretical innovation? How can case studies be combined with other research methods such as Large N studies and Qualitative Comparative Analysis?
Participation and preparatory work
All 15 PLATO researchers will be asked to attend this part, and to supply a one-page description in advance of how they intend to use their project as a case study in the investigation of whether the EU is in legitimacy crisis.
Part 2: Process tracing methods
We will begin to consider process tracing methods in part 1 as one of several case study methods. Part 2 will, therefore, go into greater depth on the following questions: What is process tracing? What are the different varieties of process tracing and how can they be used to build theories, to test theories, learn about contexts and to explain outcomes? How can process tracing be used to uncover different kinds of causal mechanisms? How can mechanistic findings be generalised to other kinds of case? And how can process tracing mechanisms be incorporated into multi-method designs?
Participation and preparatory work
All 15 PLATO PhD researchers will be asked to attend this part of the course.
Part 3: Focus groups
This part of the course will include a plenary discussion on the general use of focus groups in social science research, as well as a breakout session for those who will be using focus groups in their own research.
The plenary will discuss the following questions. What are the possibilities and problems of using focus groups, rather than surveys or interviews? What are the epistemological challenges of using focus groups as a source of knowledge about political opinions? How far do focus groups provide us with knowledge of respondents’ reasoned opinions or at least those they are prepared to defend and justify in conversation with others?
The breakout sessions will discuss the application of the foregoing questions to individual PhD projects, as well as the practical questions each project will face in selecting and contacting participants, recording evidence, and interpreting the evidence for use in published research.
Participation and preparatory work
All 15 PLATO PhD researchers will be asked to attend the plenary part of the course. The breakout session is open for PhD researchers who will be using focus groups in their own research.
Part 4. Content analysis
This section of the course introduces the method of media content analysis, its uses, benefits and best practices in comparative research designs. We will discuss strategies of case selection, sampling and standardized coding that apply to both quantitative and qualitative analysis.
While content analysis can be applied to any kind of communication content, the focus of this course is on the challenge of case and country comparison in media content analysis with a view on the particularity of the European media landscape. This includes a discussion of new opportunities for the analysis of social media generated content (e.g. Facebook and Twitter) through the inclusion of multiple content generators, such as journalists, political representatives, users and their various forms of mediated interactions. We look at examples of comparative claims-making analysis and will examine multiple variables that can be used for the comparative analysis of political mobilization, representation and legitimacy.
Participation and preparatory work
All 15 PLATO PhD researchers will be asked to attend the plenary part of the course. The breakout session is open for PhD researchers who will be using content analysis in their own research.
Schedule
Teaching
This course will take the form of an intensive three-day seminar with plenary and breakout sessions. The sessions will use the participants' own research as examples.
Instructors
- Joachim Blatter, University of Lucerne
- Derek Beach, University of Aarhus
- Olga Eisele, Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna
- Hans-Jörg Trenz, ARENA Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo/University of Copenhagen
- Virginie Van Ingelgom, Université catholique de Louvain (UCL)
Course conveners
- Chris Lord, ARENA Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo (PLATO Coordinator)
- Chris Bickerton, Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), University of Cambridge
Participation
The course is offered as part of the MSCA-ITN PLATO project (The Post-Crisis Legitimacy of the European Union). For the 15 PLATO PhD researchers, this PhD course in methods is mandatory.
The course is open to a limited number of external PhD candidates. Places will be given on a first-come-first-served basis. Please contact PLATO's project manager to check for available places before registering on the above link.
Practical information
More information
Download the full course description for further details (preparations, documentation and practical information)
Contact
For questions related to participation, outline or practical matters, contact PLATO's project manager Marit Eldholm
For practical questions, you could also contact the local event organiser at POLIS, Maria Chiara Vinciguerra
