B0313 - LABORATORIO DI METODO COMPARATO

Learning outcomes

This workshop aims to provide students with cross-cutting methodological skills that may be useful in their future careers. The goal is to help students progress in their abilities through practical exercises. The workshop focuses on comparative methodology and has a dual objective: to help students understand what it means to conduct research using a comparative method; and to strengthen their ability to develop a research design.
The main topics addressed will include:

• Defining comparison

• What to compare: units of analysis

• Logics of comparison

• Dimensions of comparison: space and time

• Key mechanisms

• Landmark studies adopting the comparative method, with particular reference to comparative capitalism, organisational studies, public policy and welfare state research.

Course contents

The course is structured into 5 modules of 4 hours each (2 sessions per module). Each module includes a brief theoretical introduction, guided examples, and at least one group or individual hands-on activity. The course is primarily aimed at students in the 1st year of their Masters degrees.

Module 1 (Sessions 1 & 2) – Why and How to Compare?

Topics:

• What is the "comparative method" in the social sciences and what is it for?

• Types of research questions and explanations

• Types of cases and units of analysis

Exercises:

• Group analysis of real-world comparative studies in public policy and organizational research: What is the research question? What cases are used? What approach?

• Brainstorming: comparable topics in political, sociological, or organizational fields.

Module 2 (Sessions 3 & 4) – Comparative Research Designs

Topics:

• Mill’s Method of Difference and Method of Agreement

• Most Similar vs. Most Different Systems Design (MSSD vs. MDSD)

• Necessary and sufficient causality

Exercises:

• Guided construction of MSSD/MDSD designs based on concrete examples or policy/organizational problems

Module 3 (Sessions 5 & 6) – Data for Comparison

Topics:

• Types of data useful for comparative analysis in the social sciences (quantitative/qualitative)

• Introduction to major data sources: Eurostat, OECD, ICTWSS dataset, Bruegel policy tracker

• How to read, select, and manipulate indicators for comparative analysis

Exercises:

• Guided dataset navigation (individually or in groups, using computers in class)

• Mini research task: identify useful indicators for comparing two countries on a chosen topic; in-class presentation of findings

Module 4 (Sessions 7 & 8) – Historical, Interpretive, and Reflexive Approaches to Comparison

Topics:

• Historical and sequential causality: process tracing and path dependence

• Interpretive approaches to comparison: meanings, narratives, context

• Burawoy’s Extended Case Method (ECM)

Exercises:

• Guided reading and discussion: excerpt from Burawoy (2009), The Extended Case Method

• Group work: applying ECM to an organizational field or relevant phenomenon

• Class discussion: How does ECM differ epistemologically from MSSD/MDSD? What kinds of cases lend themselves to ECM?

Module 5 (Sessions 9 & 10) – Final Lab: Designing a Comparative Research Project

Topics:

• From research question to research design: how to build a comparative study?

Exercises:

• Construction of a simple comparative design on a chosen topic (in groups)

• Informal peer presentations and group feedback

Readings/Bibliography

Primary texts for the workshop include:

• Morlino, L. (2020). La comparazione. Un'introduzione metodologica. Bologna: Il Mulino

• Ragin, C. (1987 [2014]). The Comparative Method. Moving Beyond Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies. University of California Press

A detailed course guide with assigned readings for each session will be published shortly before the course starts. Readings will be uploaded to Virtuale.

Teaching methods

The workshop is based on active and participatory learning, centered on learning by doing and applying concepts in practice. Each module combines a short theoretical introduction with hands-on exercises, guided discussions, case analyses, and small group work conducted in class. Students will be encouraged to engage with different approaches to comparative research, reflect critically on methodological choices, and develop simple research designs applied to concrete cases and relevant topics.
The goal is to foster reflective, collaborative learning that is grounded in the practice of research.
Attendance at sessions is mandatory.

Assessment methods

Assessment is entirely based on in-class activities:

• Active participation in sessions and exercises

• Participation in the final group presentations

Teaching tools

Course materials will be uploaded to Virtuale.

Office hours

See the website of Arianna Tassinari