Quantitative Research in MENA Political Science

In this chapter, Miquel Pellicer and Eva Wegner make the case for employing quantitative analysis in the study of the Middle East and North Africa. The chapter recognizes the difficulties in obtaining good and reliable data, but employs examples of recent methodological innovations to discuss how such difficulties can be reduced. The authors also point out that quantitative methods in isolation cannot do justice to the political and social complexities of the region and in-depth qualitative knowledge is required to make sense of raw data.