Session 2 : Research Methods
(AKA Academic skills)
Nic Spaull

Economic and Development Problems in Sub-Saharan Africa
Outline for today
 Referencing
• Tutorial
 Annotated bibliography
• Essay
• Practice
 Presentations
• Allocate groups for weekly presentations
2
Referencing
• What is referencing?
• Referencing is the acknowledgement of books, articles, websites and any
other material used in the writing of an academic paper, essay, project or
thesis
• Why do we reference?
• To give credit for work that is not our own.
• To enable the reader to find the sources we are referring to.
• To substantiate claims we are making and demonstrate that we are aware
of the existing research (credibility)
3
Referencing
• How do we reference?
• In-text
• This is supported by the notion that “nations are defined by a combination of cultural
and political factors” (Heywood, 2002: 123).
• Florin (2003: 375) illustrates the importance of social capital to all modern corporations,
particularly high growth ventures.
{Using the DVD}
• End-text
Cite-it-Right
• Heywood, A. 2002. Politics. 2nd edn. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Florin, RB. 2003. A social capital model of high-growth ventures. Academy of
Management Journal, 46(3): 374-384.
• When do we need to reference?
4
Practicality!
Annotated bibliography
10%
“An annotated bibliography provides a brief account of the available research
on a given topic. It is a list of research sources that includes concise
descriptions and evaluations of each source.” (UNSW, 2010)
Annotations vs. Abstracts ?
“Abstracts are the purely descriptive summaries often found at the beginning
of scholarly journal articles or in periodical indexes. Annotations are
descriptive and critical; they expose the author's point of view, clarity and
appropriateness of expression, and authority.” (Cornell, 2010)
Why do we need to do this?
• Summarising + evaluating is essential to many professions
• It will help with your essay (first stage for feedback)
• Not all information is of equal value
5
A side note on
reading…
Your assignment…
• 6 sources relevant to your
topic ( therefore 6 annotations )
 Summarise (80%)
 Evaluate (20%)
• MAX 250 words per
annotation
 penalised 5% for every 10 words
over)
• Marking criteria:
 Relevance/choice of source (30%)
 Summary (50%)
 Evaluation (20%)
6
10%
7
Practice makes perfect
• What is the point of summarising?
• Do we need to try and represent everything that was
said/written?
• How do you summarise?
• Read with a pen/highlighter
• Not all information is of equal value
• Summarising is NOT the same as evaluating!
• Value judgements
8
Practice makes perfect…
• Foreign aid (Sess 3) articles (2)
1) 40 words
2) 12 words
“Helping Africa Help Itself”
“$25 Billion question”
9
Your essay
25%
• You WILL draft your essay.
• It WILL be interesting.
Due dates (!)
• Annotated bibliography:
• First draft:
• Final due date:
10
31 August
21 September
12 October
11
Topics to choose from:
1)
“The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa – Past, Present and Future”
2)
“The HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa – Past, Present and Future”
3)
“The state of poverty in Africa – reason for hope or despair?”
4)
“The state of education in South Africa – reason for hope or despair?”
5)
“Weighing the case of aid in Africa: Do the positives outweigh the negatives?”
6)
Alternate topic related to your research interests (check it with me first)
Length? 6 pages
12
25%
-quality not quantity
-succinctness is a valuable skill
- mild variations in topic are acceptable
Writing is more of a skill than a talent
13
George Orwell
“Objective consideration of contemporary phenomenon compels the
conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no
tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a
considerable element of the unpredictable must inevitably be taken into
account.”
“I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor
the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to
men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance
happeneth to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11)
14
Miscellaneous
• Font size 11 ( Arial or Gill Sans MT)
• 1.5 line spacing
• Deadlines are deadlines (-10% per day late)
• Proper referencing
• Spelling mistakes are unforgiveable (given spell-check!)
15
Miscellaneous
• Just because you’re at university doesn’t mean you
can’t be
CREATIVE /
INNOVATIVE /
PROVOCATIVE /
16
Just some things to think about...
17
Some things to think about
• Ask questions
• Think critically
1) Post hoc ergo propter hoc
18
•
“Bowls is the most dangerous sport on the planet because more people
die playing bowls than any other sport”
•
“…[E]vidence shows that even state and local handgun control laws work. For
example, in 1974 Massachusetts passed the Bartley-Fox Law, which requires a
special license to carry a handgun outside the home or business. The law is
supported by a mandatory prison sentence. Studies by Glenn Pierce and William
Bowers of Northeastern University documented that after the law was passed
handgun homicides in Massachusetts fell 50% and the number of armed
robberies dropped 35%. “
Some things to think about
• Sample selection
•
A recent voluntary survey has found that pregnant women drink less
and smoke less than non-pregnant women
•
If I administered an anonymous feedback form to this class on the last
day of the semester, would that be a valid way to determine if this
course met it’s objectives?
•
Could we survey this class and ask about your perceptions of South
Africa and then generalise those results to:
•
19
All exchange students around the world?
•
Sample  Population (?)
•
Representivity
Think…
• “The matric pass-rate in SA improved from 19992003 therefore the education system improved”
• “More and more young people are attending high
schools and colleges today than ever before. Yet
there is more juvenile delinquency and more
alienation among the young. This makes it clear
that these young people are being corrupted by
their education.”
•
20
Statistics vs distributions
21
Primary school: Gr.6 reading test scores by SES quintile
22
 Poverty estimates (Rich and poor?)
 Stock and flow (Matric pass rate “improvements”)
23
Presentations
• Keep it visually interesting!
• Looks matter! (Brain wiring)
• Valuable skills…
DO:
• Use font sizes effectively
• Use appropriate visual aids
• Use the space on the slide
DON’T:
24
• Read your key-cards/slides
• Cram your slides
7.5%
A picture is worth a thousand words…
25
Some GOOD examples…
26
Keynesian Stabilization Policy
• Economy demand-constrained – role for active
government involvement
1) Monetary Policy
i.
ii.
iii.
Stimulate AD through Ms
IS-LM  Liquidity trap?
Lower-bound interest rate?
2) Fiscal Policy
i.
ii.
27
Taxes and Gov expenditures
Multipliers, crowding-out, politics
and lags
Poverty - SA
• Impact of social grants on poverty?
• Labour market – focus for solving inequality?
(SVDB)
28
So where are we in 2011?
UNAIDS 2010 Global Report
29
Instructional method?
• Lectures
• Readings
• Podcasts (interviews and videos)
• Documentaries/movies
• Class discussion (!)
30
Some BAD examples…
31
• Improve road conditions at border
crossings
• Broaden road that connects Dar-EsSalaam Port inland
• Increase export and import of goods
• Fluidity of regional trade
• Increase reliability of power
• Raise national GDP by 1.3%
• Stop undercharging for water/power
supplies
• save government $235 million per year
• Submarine cable for internet
• cheaper; attract foreign investors and
improve communication
4. Effects of the oil-based economy
Problems
• 95% of foreign exchange earnings and about 80% of budgetary revenues
are from the oil industry of Nigeria.
 Too dependant on raw materials
• Oil production has done serious harm to the environment, e. g. in the
Niger Delta.
 Therefore has affected animal life, agriculture and overall sustainability in rural
communities.
 E. g. May 2010: leakage in an oil pipeline for 7 days, causing the destruction of one of
the biggest mangrove forests of the world.
• The focus on oil production in combination with the corrupt system
causes other fields of industry to be neglected.
Introduction to Statistical Reasoning
"Statistical thinking will one day be as necessary for efficient citizenship as the ability to read and
write." H. G. Wells (1866 - 1946)
Is this true and if so, has that day arrived?
•Unless we start teaching it at a much earlier age, the general public will not develop their
statistical reasoning beyond what it is right now.
•We live in a data-centric world. It is necessary that we are aware of all the types of possible error
contained in data (from research studies, surveys etc.) and in the statistics derived from the data.
•Scientific journalists need to go beyond simply reporting the findings of research scientists and clinical
investigators that impact the health, life-styles and well-being of their readers.
This class aims to teach you how to tell good statistical methodology from bad and in the process, how to
tell good scientific journalism from bad.
Last Paragraph of Bad Science - Quacks, Hacks and Big Pharma Flacks by Ben
Goldacre, 2010
“Unmediated access to niche expertise is the future, and you know, science isn’t hard – academics
around the world explain hugely complicated ideas to ignorant eighteen-year-olds every September
– it just requires motivation.……….There’s no money in it, but you knew that when you started on
this path.You will do it because you know that knowledge is beautiful, and because if only a hundred
people share your passion, that is enough.”
Group assignment 1 - presentations
-
7.5%
7.5% of FINAL mark (1/2 group-work mark)
20 minutes
Things to discuss
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
Brief history/background
Political environment
Economy
Social + cultural context
3 main problems (+Solutions?)
Countries
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
35
Nigeria (3rd Aug)
Zimbabwe (10 Aug)
Angola (17 Aug)
South Africa (24 Aug)
Uganda* (31 Aug)
Ghana (14 Sept)
Rwanda* (21 Sept)
Algeria (28 Sept)
 Marking criteria: Presentation (20%), Content (50%), Interesting (30%)