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Bayesian Inference for Comparative Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2013

Bruce Western and
Simon Jackman
Bruce Western
Affiliation:
Princeton University
Simon Jackman
Affiliation:
University of Rochester
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Abstract

Regression analysis in comparative research suffers from two distinct problems of statistical inference. First, because the data constitute all the available observations from a population, conventional inference based on the long-run behavior of a repeatable data mechanism is not appropriate. Second, the small and collinear data sets of comparative research yield imprecise estimates of the effects of explanatory variables. We describe a Bayesian approach to statistical inference that provides a unified solution to these two problems. This approach is illustrated in a comparative analysis of unionization.

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Type
Research Notes
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 88 , Issue 2 , June 1994, pp. 412 - 423
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1994

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