An Online International Methods Colloquium for Quantitative Methodology in Political Science

William Marsh Rice University, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

This project develops, organizes, and produces a weekly interactive online seminar on the use of quantitative and statistical analysis in social research, particularly political science. This project will leverage off-the-shelf, commercially-proven technology to bring methodologists in political science and allied fields into interactive conversation with scholars, students, policy makers, and industry practitioners all over the world without travel or venue costs for the participants. The goals of the project are to promote the development and application of new quantitative techniques for data analysis that are applicable to the study of social, behavioral, and economic phenomena, to enable low-cost collaboration and discussion among scholars and professionals around the world who are actively involved in the development and application of quantitative analysis in the social and economic sciences, government, and industry, and to provide a free educational resource for students, practitioners, and policy makers interested in using quantitative analysis and social scientific research design. Participation will be free of charge, requiring only a computing device (smart phone, tablet, or computer) and an internet connection. Scholars and students will benefit from interaction with and instruction from colleagues at the forefront of the field. The archive of videos from past colloquia will form a reference library of methodological resources for teaching and research. People working outside academia will have the opportunity to learn from new research as a part of their continuing education, and to contribute their practical knowledge to the scholarly conversation. In addition to the direct benefits of collaborative research and scholarship promoted by the colloquium, this project addresses an urgent requirement for future U.S. economic growth and technological advancement. This project will help to grow the community of experts in the analysis of social and economic data that is critical to the future health of the American economy. This project will provide a free resource for students and data scientists in industry to expand their quantitative skills, giving them an opportunity to interact closely with the scholarly community and learn advanced techniques.