Comparative Research

Historical Development

Sociology's founding fathers were all comparative researchers. Karl Marx, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, and Alexis de Tocqueville, to name just a few, all firmly committed themselves to the comparative method, whether they studied roles, institutions, societies, nations, cultures, groups, or organizations. Durkheim, for example, sought to find a general “law” that would explain national and occupational suicide rate variations. In the early 20th century, though, comparative research waned because its methodological resources were deemed insufficiently rigorous during a time when scholars were insisting that social research conform to greater and greater levels of methodological precision. However, since World War II, comparative research has once again assumed its pivotal position in social science research, due in part to improved methodologies and methodological tools and in part to the international climate that emerged after World War II. That climate (the once polarized communist and noncommunist worlds, for example) and our ensuing internationalization have both contributed to the significant reemergence of comparative social science research.

Application

The purposes of comparative research are many, but one key task is to support and contribute to theory formation. Although theoretical frameworks drive the construction of comparative research endeavors, the results of such research often drive theory reformation. Another key task is to support policymaking, principally at the national level. Can Country B use the strategic policies of Country A in coping with a given social problem (drug abuse, for example)? Or are there unique differences between the two countries that render such a strategy impractical? Yet another purpose of comparative research is to ascertain whether the same dimension of a given concept (e.g., religious commitment) can be used as a common social indicator. Does a given concept generalize to all nations (or other social entities)?

...