Case Study Methods in International Political Economy

IPE scholars frequently use qualitative methods to contribute to theory-building, but we could get greater value from them. Single case studies are actually a family of research designs: the disciplined interpretive case study, the hypothesis-generating case study, the least-likely, most-likely, and deviant case studies. The method of difference employs comparison and attempts to eliminate rival interpretation by choosing two or more cases that match in important respects. These methods enjoy several inherent advantages relative to statistical methods, and they suffer from several disadvantages. Neither family of methods is sufficient. The two complement one another and ultimately must be combined.     

新就业形态的就业留存 ——基于外卖骑手的定性比较分析

尽管新就业形态存在就业不稳定、劳动力流动率高的特点，但仍然有大量从业者长期留存于各 类新就业形态中，其原因值得探究。研究以外卖骑手为研究对象，采用定性比较分析方法对外卖骑手的就业留 存原因及路径进行探究。研究发现，影响外卖骑手就业留存的因素包括个人情况、工作现状、压力来源、薪酬 满意度、平台满意度等。在此基础上，研究归纳了就业留存意愿最高的 4 类群体，包括家庭生活压力较大的专 职群体、有丰富经验的兼职群体、家庭生活压力小且缺乏经验的青年从业群体，以及在其他劳动力市场竞争力 不足而被迫选择成为骑手的群体，并对每类群体的特征进行了详细描述。研究认为，劳动者选择新就业形态受 一系列因素的综合影响，是劳动者综合了多种因素后的理性选择。     

黑社会性质组织及成员的定性条件

黑社会性质组织犯罪在我国大陆有向黑社会组织转化的趋势。给黑社会性质组织及成员定性具有重要意义。黑社会性质组织及成员的定性涉及三个方面 :黑社会性质组织的定性 ,黑社会性质组织的组织者、领导者的定性 ,黑社会性质组织参加者的定性。     

从边缘到主流--对京、沪、穗三地"流动知青"的定性研究

“流动知青”并不是一般意义上的社会弱势群体,但由于某些现存社会制度内含的针对某些社会群体的社会歧视,该群体具有社会弱势群体的某些特征。随着市场经济的进一步发展和完善,目前尚处于边缘状态的“流动知青”将成为未来青年就业群体中的主流群体。中央政府应尽早着手建立不分城乡、不分区域、全国统一的社会保障体系。     

Inquiring Into Life as We Live It

This article marks the first steps in an inquiry into community-based approaches to well-being for children and families. The author outlines the development of her methodological approach, which draws significantly from human geography. The study, while concerned with broader social and economic dynamics, is situated in a particular community which is undergoing economic, ecological, and political transitions. By grounding the study in this way, individual and collective experiences can be better understood and responded to. The intention is to make methodological decisions explicit in order to engage readers with the significance of theoretical considerations when embarking on qualitative research.     

Varieties of contemporary democratic breakdown and regression: A comparative analysis

The goal of this article is to understand which combinations of explanatory conditions account for the qualitative differences within forms of democratic breakdown (i.e., transition from democracy to a hybrid or authoritarian regime) and democratic regression (i.e., transition within democracy through a loss of democratic quality). The analysis focuses particularly on the specific features of those processes of change ending up with a transition from democratic rule, compared to those producing a simple loss of democratic quality within the democratic regime. Applying two‐step fuzzy‐set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), the study aims to integrate different types of explanatory factors, offering a fresh and comprehensive perspective on this phenomenon.     

Explaining subnational parliamentary scrutiny powers: A fuzzy-set analysis of German Landtage

While the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty has important implications for regional parliaments with legislative competences, most studies have focused on cross-country differences or examined the activities of regional parliaments at the EU level. This contribution shows the existence of substantial intra-country differences in the formal scrutiny rights of regional parliaments. We analyse how German regional parliaments (Landtage) have addressed the challenge of controlling their governments in EU affairs. Using fuzzy-set comparative qualitative analysis, we find that institutional and partisan factors (vote share in the second chamber, economic potential, and conservative governments) explain the differences found among German Landtage particularly well. Landtage with otherwise weak parliamentary prerogatives were successful in using the reform momentum to strengthen their rights in the field of EU policy. Combined with the party political salience of EU policy-making, the integration process has thus empowered formally weaker Landtage.     

Filters of influence: The help-seeking process of African American single mothers living in poverty seeking mental health services for their children

There are a disproportionate number of African American children living in poverty who are in need of mental health services. African American children who live in poverty tend to underutilize mental health treatment due to the barriers their caregivers face; however, far less research has been conducted on the percentage of children who do access mental health treatment and the experiences of their caregivers in maneuvering through the barriers in their environments. This grounded theory study systematically generated a help-seeking theory that was constructed through the experiences of single African American mothers living in poverty who accessed mental health treatment for their children.     

A Life Sentence in Installments: A Qualitative Analysis of Repeat Offending Among Short-Sentenced Offenders

Short-sentenced (less than 12 months) offenders in the United Kingdom consistently account for the greatest number of discharges from prison and demonstrate the highest risk and rate of reoffending. Moreover, until recent changes in UK legislation in 2015, individuals serving short sentences were released into the community with little support postrelease. The present study presents an exploration of (re)offending in individuals who have already served multiple short sentences in custody and aims to understand their experiences, perceptions, and insight into their offending. Is there anything apropos short sentences specifically, or those who continually serve them, that can explain the high rates of reoffending in this population? Semistructured interviews were conducted with eight prisoners currently serving short custodial sentences. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was implemented deriving three superordinate themes from the rich dataset: (a) living short sentences, (b) “You’d do the same if you were me,” and (c) negotiating an identity.     

Constitutional Dynamics in the European Union: Success,Failure, and Stability of Institutional Treaty Revisions

ABSTRACT

Despite high institutional hurdles for constitutional change, one observes surprisingly many EU treaty revisions. This article takes up the questions of what determines whether a treaty provision is successfully changed and why provisions are renegotiated at subsequent Intergovernmental Conferences. The article presents an institutionalist theory explaining success and renegotiation and tests the theory using all core institutional provisions by means of Qualitative Comparative Analysis. The causal analysis shows that low conflict potential of an issue is sufficient for successfully changing the treaties. Furthermore, high conflict potential of an issue and its fundamental change are sufficient for it to be renegotiated.