Inside two parties : ethnographic analysis of partisan differences in political candidate recruitment / Joshua J. Weikert.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Weikert, Joshua J., author.

Series:

SAGE Research Methods. Cases.

SAGE Research Methods. Cases

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political candidates--Research.

Political candidates.

Political parties--Research.

Political parties.

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Place of Publication:

London : SAGE Publications Ltd, 2019.

Summary:

This case discusses the process and benefits of ethnographic research of candidate recruitment by local political parties. Ethnography is especially useful in this research area, as candidate recruitment is a closed, "inside" process that incorporates several veto-holding stakeholders and a range of considerations that are challenging to disentangle using other methods. Participant-observer data are richer and more substantively significant, especially in this case, as the ethnographer was the subject of candidate recruitment by both major political parties (Republicans and Democrats) in the same 12-month period. This unusual "co-partisan" recruitment effort, paired with a bottom-up methodological view provided by the participant-generated data made for a unique research opportunity. The resulting data make robust comparison and contrast possible, even given limits in record keeping and the limited generalizability inherent to ethnographic analysis. The case also highlights the challenges of confirming the findings in question, but recommendations for future research provide some options to explore.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on XML content.

ISBN:

1-5264-7300-3

9781526473004

OCLC:

1084515266