Comparative Historical Analysis

Comparative-historical analysis (CHA) is part of a longstanding intellectual tradition that seeks to explain substantively important outcomes through a distinctive set of methodological and theoretical tools. CHA is defined by a concern with causal analysis, an emphasis on temporally-oriented analysis, and the use of systematic, case-based comparative research.

The Department of Political Science features a prominent group of faculty who work in this field. The central meeting place for scholars of CHA at Northwestern is the Comparative-Historical Social Science program. CHA also intersects with African Politics, American Political Development, Conflict Studies, Democratization, European Politics, Latin America, Middle East Politics, and Political Parties. Many fruitful collaborations and exchanges are also had with our colleagues in the Department of Sociology.

CHA faculty in the Political Science department include: