Description

PAPER #1 Assignment Goals (pp1ExampleBeta.pdf)

The goal of this paper is to demonstrate that the student understands normative versus empirical claims, the levels of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio), and the appropriate descriptive statistics to be used with each level of measurement. The student is required to generate a short literature review and report descriptive statistics using statistical software.  Be sure and reference this handout (10 Commandments of PS Writing). TenCommandmentsOf PS Writing.pdf

The essay should have an introduction, a literature review, a hypothesis, and report descriptive statistics for the two variables of interest.  

Directions:

Go to the list of possible research topics and pick a set of two variables.  Using the academic literature (you can use www.jstor.org (Links to an external site.) and find how researchers have linked the two variables.  If there is no research specifically on your topic report about what researchers have learned about the two variables of interests.  This paper should have at least THREE citations.  The literature review should end with a proposal of a testable hypothesis.  (All the data should be in the data folder under files - world, NES, GSS, States).  

The data analysis section should address: 

• The data set you used.  Comb through the Pollack text to report the origin of the data or variables you used.

• Describe the variables and their operational definition.  

• Is your measurement nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio?

• Report the proper frequencies and measures of central tendency. Be sure to report in narrative form. 

• Report the distribution using the correct graphs.

• Report what your findings in a concluding paragraph.

• Number of women in the state legislature (womleg) and percent conservative (conpct_m)

• Cigarette taxes (Cig_tax) and percent conservative (conpct_m)

• Corruption and democracy

• Union density and Gini coefficient (measure of inequality)

• Religiosity and freedom (how would freedom and religiosity (or vice versa be related?)

• Women in parliament and government spending

• Decentralization and govt effectiveness

• Toleration and ideology

• Attend (church) and toleration

• Egalit (economic egalitarianism) and ideology, partisanship, gender, authoritarianism index

• Relig tol (religious tolerance) and ideology, partisanship, gender, authoritarianism index

The paper should be laid out in the following format:

1. Introduction 

2. Literature Review (3 citations and ends with a proposal of hypothesis)

3. Data and Methods - discusses the data and variables used for the research.  In this paper, you'll report the appropriate descriptive statistics, bar charts or histograms.  NOTE, SPSS produces very nice graphics but the tables are not presentable in papers.  Be sure to construct your own tables in WORD.

4. Conclusion

Possible Research Topics: SPSS IBN

Ask yourself how are these variables related?  Why would they be related?

States.sav dataset

World.sav

GSS2008.sav

NES2008.sav

Defense spending and ideology