Data Visualization for Social and Policy Research: A Step-by-Step Approach Using R and Python

Jose Manuel Magallanes Reyes

Apr 2022 · Cambridge University Press

About this ebook

All social and policy researchers need to synthesize data into a visual representation. Producing good visualizations combines creativity and technique. This book teaches the techniques and basics to produce a variety of visualizations, allowing readers to communicate data and analyses in a creative and effective way. Visuals for tables, time series, maps, text, and networks are carefully explained and organized, showing how to choose the right plot for the type of data being analysed and displayed. Examples are drawn from public policy, public safety, education, political tweets, and public health. The presentation proceeds step by step, starting from the basics, in the programming languages R and Python so that readers learn the coding skills while simultaneously becoming familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of each visualization. No prior knowledge of either Python or R is required. Code for all the visualizations are available from the book's website.

About the author

Jose Manuel Magallanes Reyes is a Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Director of the Institute of Social Analytics and Strategic Intelligence at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) and a Visiting Professor at the Evans School of Public Policy at the University of Washington. He is also an Affiliated Researcher at the Center for Social Complexity at George Mason University and a Catalyst Fellow at the University of California- Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences (BITSS). His work has been funded by BITSS, the eScience Institute of the University of Washington, the Vice Rectorado de Investigación PUCP, the NSF, the Washington Research Fund, the Sloan Foundation, and the Moore Foundation.