Data analysis manuals often tend to dwell on more formal rather than substantive aspects, and as a result they describe techniques that are not immediately applicable in actual research practice. This volume avoids this pitfall for various reasons. In the first place, the author is a social researcher. Secondly, the text is entirely devoted to analysis techniques focusing on actual social research problems. Thirdly, all topics are addressed in a critical manner, in order to highlight potentialities and limits of the quantitative analysis of social phenomena. Lastly, the text offers review and practice materials that will stimulate the reader to personally test what she has learned.

Contents: Preface - 1. Social Science and Quantitative Analysis - 2. The Regression Model - 3. The Uncertainty of Estimates - 4. Analysis of Dichotomous Dependent Variables - 5. Analysis of Nominal Dependent Variables - 6. Analysis of Ordinal Dependent Variables - Bibliographical References

Maurizio Pisati teaches Social Research Techniques at the University of Milan-Bicocca.