Author: William Hurst, University of Texas at Austin

In the recent past, Western political scientists were divided over whether newly possible field research in mainland China was superior to exclusively document-based study or émigré interviewing in Hong Kong. At some point in the 1980s, the debate subsided and mainland-based field research won out. So, which fieldwork methods, applied in which local contexts, are best suited to which research questions in Chinese politics?

There are three main fieldwork approaches: Single-site case studies, sub-national comparative analysis, and large-scale surveys across many regions or populations. Read more…