Research Methods for Law introduces undergraduate and postgraduate students to available methods of research -- legalistic, empirical, comparative and theoretical -- drawing on actual research projects as examples. The book is written by a team of contributors with a broad range of teaching and research experience in law, criminal justice and socio-legal studies. Designed to serve as a handbook for research methods courses with its coverage of the principal research traditions, the book will also appeal to students of related disciplines who have an interest in legal issues including those from criminology, sociology, psychology, government, politics and social administration. The rich mix of general lessons, theoretical engagement and practical examples will be of real value to students.
| Preface and Acknowledgements |
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vii | |
| Introduction and Overview |
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1 | (15) |
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Qualitative Legal Research |
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16 | (30) |
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Quantitative Legal Research |
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46 | (23) |
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Doing Ethnographic Research: Lessons from a Case Study |
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69 | (18) |
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Comparative Legal Scholarship |
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87 | (17) |
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Integrating Theory and Method in the Comparative Contextual Analysis of Trial Process |
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104 | (29) |
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Researching the Landless Movement in Brazil |
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133 | (26) |
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Non-empirical Discovery in Legal Scholarship --- Choosing, Researching and Writing a Traditional Scholarly Article |
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159 | (22) |
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Researching International Law |
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181 | (26) |
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Development of Empirical Techniques and Theory |
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207 | (23) |
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| Notes on Contributors |
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230 | (4) |
| Index |
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234 | |
Professor Mike McConville is Simon F. S. Li Professor of Law and Director, School of Law in The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His most recent publications are Jury Trials and Plea Bargaining: A True History (with C. L. Mirsky, 2005); and, as co-editor, Criminal Justice in Crisis (with L. Bridges, 1994); and The Handbook of the Criminal Justice Process (with G. Wilson, 2002). Dr Wing Hong Chui is in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at The University of Hong Kong. He is the co-editor of three books, Moving Probation Forward (with M. Nellis, 2003), Social Work and Human Services Best Practice (with J. Wilson, 2006) and Experiences of Transnational Chinese Migrants in the Asia-Pacific (with D. Ip and R. Hibbins, 2006).
