TITLE:
Cluster Analysis for Political Scientists
AUTHORS:
Dalson Britto Figueiredo Filho, Enivaldo Carvalho da Rocha, José Alexandre da Silva Júnior, Ranulfo Paranhos, Mariana Batista da Silva, Bárbara Sofia Félix Duarte
KEYWORDS:
Cluster Analysis, Q Analysis, Political Regimes
JOURNAL NAME:
Applied Mathematics,
Vol.5 No.15,
August
19,
2014
ABSTRACT: This paper provides
an intuitive introduction to cluster analysis. Our targeting audience are both
scholars and students in Political Science. Methodologically, we use basic
simulation to illustrate the underlying logic of cluster analysis and we
replicate data from Coppedge, Alvarez and Maldonado (2008)[1]to classify
political regimes according to Dahl’s (1971)[2]polyarchy
dimensions: contestation and inclusiveness. With this paper, we hope to help
novice scholars to understand and employ cluster analysis in Political Science
empirical research.