Comparative method in political science: the peculiarities of research development and classification

Šiame straipsnyje nagrinėjami lyginamojo metodo panaudojimo politikos moksle savitumai. Trumpai apžvelgus lyginamųjų tyrimų vystymosi istoriją, analizuojami veiksniai, kurie turėjo įtakos tyrimų poreikiui ir plėtrai. Ypatingas dėmesys skiriamas lyginamųjų tyrimų klasifi kacijos analizei. Straipsnyje analizuojami keli lyginamųjų tyrimų klasifi kacijos modeliai, sukonstruoti remiantis skirtingu požiūriu į laiko ir erdvės parametrų svarbą. Taip pat analizuojama kiekybinė (tyrimo vienetų skaičiaus) klasifi kacija. Šio straipsnio tikslas – prisidėti prie lyginamosios politikos metodologijos analizės plėtojimo lietuvių kalba.The goal of this article is to analyse the peculiarities of the application of comparative method in political science. The analysis focuses on the historical development of comparative research and major factors that have influenced this development, mainly, historical events, development of research techniques and advancement of the data storage and processing. The analysis covers investigation of various models of comparative research classification as well as the problems of sampling. The comparative method is frequently used in political and social research as it broadens the perspective and could improve understanding of social phenomena. Many methodological problems encountered by scientists earlier on still remain unsolved, while some new challenges have been encountered such as ethnocentrism, sampling issues and cultural biases. The major goal of this article is to promote the scientific discussions on the application of comparative method in the political science in Lithuanian language