| |
| |
Preface | |
| |
| |
| |
Research Methodology Foundations | |
| |
| |
| |
Introduction | |
| |
| |
Reasons to Study Methodology | |
| |
| |
Objectives and Focus of the Book | |
| |
| |
Assumptions about Readers | |
| |
| |
The Author's Perspective and Views | |
| |
| |
Organization of the Book | |
| |
| |
Summary | |
| |
| |
Recommended Reading | |
| |
| |
Notes | |
| |
| |
| |
Research and Methodology | |
| |
| |
Research Defined and Described | |
| |
| |
Classifications of Research | |
| |
| |
Basic vs. Applied Research | |
| |
| |
Disciplinary, Subject-Matter, and Problem-Solving Research | |
| |
| |
Analytical vs. Descriptive Research | |
| |
| |
Methodology Defined and Described | |
| |
| |
The Process of Research | |
| |
| |
Creativity in the Research Process | |
| |
| |
Summary | |
| |
| |
Recommended Reading | |
| |
| |
Suggested Exercises | |
| |
| |
Notes | |
| |
| |
| |
Methodological Concepts and Perspectives | |
| |
| |
Science | |
| |
| |
Economics as Art and Science | |
| |
| |
Knowledge | |
| |
| |
Positivistic vs. Normativistic Knowledge | |
| |
| |
Private vs. Public Knowledge | |
| |
| |
Ways We Obtain Knowledge | |
| |
| |
Reliability of (Public) Knowledge | |
| |
| |
Logical Fallacies | |
| |
| |
Tests for Reliability | |
| |
| |
Role of Personal Objectivity | |
| |
| |
Scientific Prediction | |
| |
| |
Summary | |
| |
| |
Recommended Reading | |
| |
| |
Suggested Exercises | |
| |
| |
Notes | |
| |
| |
| |
Philosophical Foundations | |
| |
| |
Positivism | |
| |
| |
Normativism | |
| |
| |
Pragmatism | |
| |
| |
How the Philosophies Blend | |
| |
| |
Empiricism in Research Methodology | |
| |
| |
The Scientific Approach | |
| |
| |
Deduction and Induction in the Scientific Approach | |
| |
| |
Summary | |
| |
| |
Recommended Reading | |
| |
| |
Suggested Exercises | |
| |
| |
Notes | |
| |
| |
| |
The Research Project Design | |
| |
| |
| |
Planning the Research | |
| |
| |
The Research Project Proposal | |
| |
| |
Elements of the Research Proposal | |
| |
| |
Evaluating Research Proposals | |
| |
| |
Importance of Flexibility | |
| |
| |
Funding for Economic Research | |
| |
| |
Importance of Writing | |
| |
| |
Writing Guidelines and Tips | |
| |
| |
Summary | |
| |
| |
Recommended Reading | |
| |
| |
Suggested Exercises | |
| |
| |
Notes | |
| |
| |
| |
The Research Problem and Objectives | |
| |
| |
Research vs. Decision Problems | |
| |
| |
The Research Problem Identification | |
| |
| |
Researchable Problem vs. Problematic Situation | |
| |
| |
The Problem Statement(s) | |
| |
| |
Use of Data | |
| |
| |
Objectives | |
| |
| |
Developing Problem and Objective Statements | |
| |
| |
Summary | |
| |
| |
Suggested Exercises | |
| |
| |
Notes | |
| |
| |
| |
The Literature Review | |
| |
| |
Purposes of the Literature Review | |
| |
| |
The Literature Search Process | |
| |
| |
Search Aids | |
| |
| |
Key Words | |
| |
| |
Reading | |
| |
| |
Notes | |
| |
| |
Writing the Literature Review | |
| |
| |
Referencing | |
| |
| |
Summary | |
| |
| |
Recommended Reading | |
| |
| |
Suggested Exercises | |
| |
| |
Notes | |
| |
| |
| |
The Conceptual Framework | |
| |
| |
Role of the Conceptual Framework | |
| |
| |
Source Material for the Conceptual Framework: Theory | |
| |
| |
Hypotheses and Hypothesis Testing | |
| |
| |
Operational Suggestions | |
| |
| |
Summary | |
| |
| |
Suggested Exercises | |
| |
| |
Notes | |
| |
| |
| |
Methods and Procedures | |
| |
| |
Purposes of Methods and Procedures | |
| |
| |
A Historical Perspective on Empirical Methods | |
| |
| |
Models in Economic Research | |
| |
| |
Types of Empirical Methods | |
| |
| |
The Descriptive Method | |
| |
| |
Statistical and Econometric Tools | |
| |
| |
Operations Research Tools | |
| |
| |
Data Considerations | |
| |
| |
Secondary Data | |
| |
| |
Primary Data | |
| |
| |
Creative Solutions for Data Problems | |
| |
| |
Procedural Suggestions | |
| |
| |
Summary | |
| |
| |
Recommended Reading | |
| |
| |
Suggested Exercises | |
| |
| |
Notes | |
| |
| |
| |
Closure of the Research Process | |
| |
| |
| |
Reporting the Research | |
| |
| |
Types of Reports | |
| |
| |
Components of the Research Report | |
| |
| |
Writing the Methods/Procedures and Findings | |
| |
| |
Writing the Conclusions | |
| |
| |
Publishing | |
| |
| |
Authorship | |
| |
| |
Summary | |
| |
| |
Recommended Reading | |
| |
| |
Suggested Exercises | |
| |
| |
Notes | |
| |
| |
| |
Appendices | |
| |
| |
| |
Example of a Research Proposal for a Government Agency | |
| |
| |
| |
Example of a Master's Thesis Proposal | |
| |
| |
| |
Example of a Ph.D. Dissertation Proposal | |
| |
| |
| |
Guidelines for Critiquing Papers | |
| |
| |
| |
Seeking Research Funding | |
| |
| |
References | |
| |
| |
Index | |