Contents: List of contributors xi 1 Introduction to the Handbook of Research Methods and Applications in Comparative Policy Analysis 1 B. Guy Peters and Guillaume Fontaine PART I THE METHODOLOGICAL DEBATE 2 The comparative method and comparative policy analysis 20 B. Guy Peters 3 The most-similar and most-different systems design in comparative policy analysis 33 Carsten Anckar 4 Can a case study test a theory? Types and tokens in comparative policy analysis 49 Keith Dowding PART II THEORETICAL CHALLENGES 5 Comparing policy processes: insights and lessons from the Advocacy Coalition Framework research program 67 Daniel Nohrstedt, Christopher M. Weible, Karin Ingold and Adam D. Henry 6 Comparing agenda-settings: the Comparative Agendas Project 90 Laura Chaqués Bonafont, Christoffer Green-Pedersen and Henrik Bech Seeberg 7 Comparing historical cases: advances in comparative historical research 113 Grace Jaramillo 8 Comparing international policy transfers 134 Osmany Porto de Oliveira PART III MEASUREMENT AND EXPERIMENTAL METHODS 9 Using experiments in comparative policy analysis: from policy evaluation to the policy process 153 Peter John 10 Measuring change in comparative policy analysis: concepts and empirical approaches 167 Jale Tosun and Julia Schnepf 11 Using indexes in comparative policy analysis: global comparisons 186 Tero Erkkilä 12 Using text-as-data methods in comparative policy analysis 203 Fabrizio Gilardi and Bruno Wüest PART IV MIXED METHODS AND MULTI-METHODS 13 Critical multiplism for comparative policy analysis 219 William N. Dunn and B. Guy Peters 14 Causal case studies for comparative policy analysis 238 Derek Beach 15 Qualitative Comparative Analysis for comparative policy analysis 254 Eva Thomann 16 Process tracing for comparative policy analysis: a realist approach 277 Guillaume Fontaine PART V QUALITATIVE TECHNIQUES 17 Using focus groups in comparative policy analysis 297 Patrik Marier, Daniel Dickson and Anne-Sophie Dubé 18 Using ethnography in comparative policy analysis: premises, promises and perils 312 Raul Pacheco-Vega 19 Using Q methodology in comparative policy analysis 333 Astrid Molenveld 20 Using the Narrative Policy Framework in comparative policy analysis 348 Aaron Smith-Walter and Michael D. Jones PART VI ISSUES FOR FURTHER RESEARCH 21 Trends in the development of comparative policy analysis 367 Iris Geva-May, David C. Hoffman and Joselyn Muhleisen 22 Evolutionary theory in comparative policy analysis 385 Adrian Kay Index 401

'An excellent, timely and accessible collection by internationally renowned contributors, this Handbook provides cutting-edge treatment of methods in comparative public policy, as well as their strengths and weaknesses for addressing theoretical issues. It is an absolute must for students, teachers and policy analysts, and I warmly recommend it to them.' --Moshe Maor, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel