A Microsoft Excel® Companion to Political Analysis

Philip H. Pollock III · Barry C. Edwards

Jan 2022 · CQ Press

About this eBook

The trusted series of workbooks by Philip H. Pollock III and Barry C. Edwards continues with A Microsoft Excel®Companion to Political Analysis. In this new guide, students dive headfirst into actual political data working with the ubiquitous Excel software. Students learn by doing with new guided examples, annotated screenshots, step-by-step instructions, and exercises that reflect current scholarly debates in varied subfields of political science, including American politics, comparative politics, law and courts, and international relations. Chapters cover all major topics in political data analysis, from descriptive statistics through logistic regression, all with worked examples and exercises in Excel. No matter their professional goals, students can gain a leg up for their future careers by developing a working knowledge of statistics using Excel. By encouraging students to build on their existing familiarity with the Excel program, instructors can flatten the statistics learning curve and take some of the intimidation out of the learning process. Gain lost time usually spent troubleshooting software to provide students with a smooth transition into political analysis.

About the author

Philip H. Pollock III is a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida. He has taught courses in research methods at the undergraduate and graduate levels for more than thirty years. His main research interests are American public opinion, voting behavior, techniques of quantitative analysis, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. His recent research has been on the effectiveness of Internet-based instruction. Pollock’s research has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Social Science Quarterly, and the British Journal of Political Science. Recent scholarly publications include articles in Political Research Quarterly, the Journal of Political Science Education, and PS: Political Science and Politics.

Barry C. Edwards writes textbooks and works for Fair Trial Analysis, LLC, a company that conducts research on juries and jurors for civil and criminal litigation. He received his B.A. from Stanford University, a J.D. from New York University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. He taught survey design and analysis, research methods, and prelaw courses at the University of Central Florida and continues to teach occasional courses for the University of Georgia. His political science interests include American politics, public law, and research methods. He founded the Political Science Data Group and created the PoliSciData.com website. His research has been published in American Politics Research, Congress & the Presidency, Election Law Journal, Emory Law Journal, Georgia Bar Journal, Harvard Negotiation Law Review, Journal of Politics, NYU Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, Political Research Quarterly, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Public Management Review, State Politics and Policy Quarterly, and UCLA Criminal Justice Law Review.