Researchers across the social sciences often encounter the need to analyze and understand change over time. When confronted with this need, the question arises as to which methodological technique or method is best suited to a given research study. Analyzing Social and Political Change provides researchers with a clear and accessible guide on the potential and problems of relevant methods of analysis. Outlining the nature of such techniques, this book examines the variety of methods available for the analysis of change over time, the kinds of research objectives to which individual techniques are suited, the limitations and constraints of individual methods, the different philosophies that underlie particular approaches, and the respective value of cross-sectional and longitudinal data in the analysis of change. Making quantitative and statistical techniques accessible to a broad range of researchers, this volume is an essential tool for all those engaged in researching social change.