Methods in International Environmental Politics

Abstract

Researchers in international environmental politics (IEP) have devoted little extended attention to the methods that they use in their field. With a few exceptions that are discussed below, they have simply carried out their research without exploring which methods are best-suited to the field as a whole. This is a laudable approach to an area of research whose data can range from the cultural discourses in global negotiations about climate change to a time-series data set of measurements of CO2 in the atmosphere. The absence of a hegemonic methodological discourse in the field fits its diversity well, and this chapter does not aim to establish any such hegemony. On the other hand, the lack of extended reflection about the methodologies appropriate to the field may prevent IEP researchers from thinking more creatively about their research designs and approaches. Greater attention to research design and methodology would help them avoid unnecessary and unintended weaknesses in their studies. To that end, this chapter outlines a number of different approaches and specifies how they are used and for which kinds of analytical projects, focusing on issues of research design. It also identifies characteristic pitfalls and critiques of the different methods.