Los métodos mixtos de investigación para el análisis del cambio político en el Norte de África y Oriente Próximo

Abstract

Democratization processes are a relevant issue for Comparative Politics. However, cross-regional proposals comparing cases from different geographical areas based on context sensitivity are still limited, whereas comparative research using mixed-method approaches such as Comparative Area Studies (CAS) and Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) are very exceptional. In spite of their scarcity, these methods present advantages both conceptually and methodologically. On the one hand, regions acquire relevance as an analytical category, not as an explanatory element. On the other hand, they help to test theories previously applied to particular regional or local contexts. This mixed approach is highly adaptable to political change studies and it is particularly useful for comparative studies. In fact, it allows for a contextual description of countries; favours classification; enables evaluating previous theories; and facilitates comparisons. However, most of QCA publications are focused on evaluating classical theories and they do not usually take into account the asymmetry of processes of political change. In this regard, this publication recommends distinguishing between types of political change processes and including new conditions that have only been covered from intrarregional and case study research on the Middle East and North Africa studies (MENA).