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Scientific Research and Research Design
Primary goal of scientific research
The primary goal of scientific research is to give readers generalized information
about a topic of interest. Scientific research serves as the central building block that leads to
the development of theories. Theory development supports the goal of scientific research
because it explains why public administrators make certain decisions to resolve problems.
Theory development also explains how public administrators undergo the decision-making
process to develop alternatives to address unresolved issues. In addition, the primary goal of
scientific research is to gain knowledge. When knowledge is obtained, public administrators
can logically develop a plan of action to address unforeseen issues. (Liberty University, n.d).
For example, state and local governments' policy development depends on the theoretical
concept of public choice. The public choice concept is a form of political science that
analyzes how politicians make decisions to create laws and regulations. The Public choice
concept also involves public administrators with opposing viewpoints coming together to
create an economic resource to address the public needs (William, 1998).
Furthermore, one type of public choice is called the platonic rule of justice. Public
administrators who favor the platonic rule of justice support the idea that the federal, state
and local governments should develop partnerships to create alternatives to support the
public’s needs through policy development. Another form of public choice involves the
federal, local, and state governments developing partnerships with private sectors. For
example, local and state governments purchase goods and services from private organizations
to improve public infrastructures. Therefore, the partnerships between sub-national
governments and private organizations can make vital decisions promptly (William, 1998).
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In support of the Biblical viewpoint, Jesus Christ is the governing authority over people.
Therefore, man must obey God’s laws (Romans 13:1, ESV).
Differences between the experimental, statistical, and comparative method (according
to Lijphart)
There are considerable differences between experimental, statistical, and comparative
methods. A comparative method is a form of political science that involves empirical
relationships. The empirical relationship concept explains public administrators’ values and
ideas when supporting their political agendas. Researchers depend on the empirical
relationship concept when developing case studies that illustrate how two different political
institutions solve various problems differently (Lijphart, 1971). For example, the authors’
research study points out that international governments exercise legislative power differently
to resolve conflicts when creating policies. For instance, Japan’s federal government relies on
the decision-making process by voting on alternatives to resolve disputes affecting policies.
In contrast, Italy’s federal government developed policies based on party loyalty. Therefore,
disputes with policy developments take an extended time to resolve (Guimaraes et al., 2017).
In support of the Biblical viewpoint, God gives wisdom to man. Therefore, Christians should
seek God’s knowledge before making important political and economic decisions (James 1:5,
ESV).
In contrast, the experimental method is used by researchers to evaluate how two
similar groups or items respond to a particular issue. One group is exposed to an independent
variable or issue. At the same time, the other experimental group is given a placebo.
Researchers then develop theories by evaluating the group’s response to the stimulus
(Guimaraes et al., 2017). For example, researchers conducted a study to determine whether
human behavior or computers better process food. The banana industry experimental group
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relies on the artificial neural networker to process food. The artificial neural networker
process food by emitting light sensors on overripe bananas to be removed from assembly
lines. In contrast, the control group is employees who visually detect overripe bananas. The
researchers’ findings show that the artificial neural networker identifies overripe bananas at a
98.8%. In contrast, the manual approach detects overripe bananas at 92.3% (Olaniyi et al.,
2017). Unlike the comparative method, the experimental method is the simplest form of
research because participants are in controlled environments. Researchers rely on control
environments to ensure that their data is well-defined scientifically. In contrast, the
experimental method is not a useful instrument to support political science research because
of potential ethical violations (Guimaraes et al., 2017).
On the other hand, the statistical method is used by researchers to evaluate the
mathematical correlation between two or more groups of people or items. Researchers use
mathematical data to draw correlations between groups using the partial correlation theory.
The partial correlation concept evaluates how two or more public administrations are similar
(Guimaraes et al., 2017). For example, researchers conducted a quantitative study to evaluate
whether 17 public schools in Bazile have similar policies to ensure children have quality
education. One hundred thirty-five school administrators fill out surveys to address the
research question. According to the findings, 12 out of 17 public schools have educational
policies. In addition, 7 out of 17 public schools have strategic training plans (Riberiro et al.,
2019). Also, the statistical method does not involve control groups like the experimental
method does. The reason for this phenomenon is based on researchers who cannot determine
whether two or more groups exhibit similar behaviors (Guimaraes et al., 2017).
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References
Guimaraes, Andre, Fabiano Schwartz, and Ricardo Gomes. 2017. “Governance in the
Legislative Power: Looking at the Parliamentary Boards.” Revista do Servico
Publico 68, no. 3 (April 7): 557-582.
https://www.proquest.com/docview/1944983043?parentSessionId=tiQpzspYtxrs%2B
%2FaZ6zRAniUvWJkPx0oE5a1egmxCVWw%3D&pq-
origsite=summon&accountid=12085
King, Gary, Robert Keohane, Sidney Verba, and Robert Keohane. Designing Social Inquiry:
Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. New Jersey: Princeton University Press,
1994. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/lib/liberty/detail.action?
docID=5541969
Liberty University. “Scientific Research & Research Design.” Helms School of Government.
Accessed March 15, 2022.
https://libertyuniversity.instructure.com/courses/197626/pages/watch-scientific-
research-and-research-design?module_item_id=25255717
Lijphart, Arend. 1971. “Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method.” The American
Political Science Review 65, no. 3 (September): 682-693. https://www-jstor-
org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/stable/1955513?pq-
origsite=summon&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
