Political Analysis: A Guide to Data and Statistics

Written in a uniquely engaging and entertaining style and built on a foundation of nearly 20 years’ teaching experience, this is the perfect guide to understanding data and statistics for political analysis. Packed with thought-provoking real-world examples and data, imaginative illustrations, and easy to consume introductions to key methods, students are shown how statistical knowledge can help them better understand the world around them. 
An intuitive and entertaining guide to the most common and contemporary statistical methods used by political scientists, civil servants, and policy researchers around the world. Political Analysis covers research designs and the statistical method, to descriptive and inferential statistics up to multiple regressions. This broad and comprehensive text is ideal for all undergraduate and postgraduate students studying political statistics or for any student using statistics in their independent research project.  Accessible, intuitive, and entertaining, Political Analysis is an essential introduction to statistics. From news reporting on elections or unfolding political crises to everyday advertising, you are confronted with statistics. And in the working world, statistical literacy helps when putting together a policy paper, white paper, or report. An understanding of statistics immunises us from bad arguments, questionable correlations, and poor inferences whether found in news reports, social media, or used by political scientists, civil servants, and policy researchers. Why let other people explain the world to you? Understanding the logic and intuition behind common statistical techniques allows you to better understand the world. Statistics are tools to make predictions, find patterns, and understand politics. This text will help you understand the various types of data and questions used in statistical research. You will gain an ability to independently select the most appropriate statistical techniques and correctly interpret the results. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the logic and intuition of the most common statistical techniques found in the social sciences, a clear understanding of the applicability of statistics to various types of data and questions, and the ability to independently select the most appropriate statistical techniques and correctly interpret the results.