Choosing not to choose in comparative policy research design: The case of the Research Network on Gender, Politics, and the State

This research note presents the research design for an inprogress comparative study on women's policy offices being conducted by the Research Network on Gender, Politics, and the State. The goal of this article is to examine how this project has been integrating a combined approach into its core research design. It argues that rather than conceptualizing the research design enterprise in terms of a zero-sum game, where a decision to use either quantitative or qualitative methodology compromises potential research findings, researchers may want to combine the strengths of each approach in a single project.