Researching Non-state Actors in International Security

This book provides researchers and students with a discussion of methodological approaches for studying non-state actors in international security.

Andreas Kruck is Assistant Professor of Global Governance at Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany, and co-author of International Organization (2012). Andrea Schneiker is Professor of Political Science at the University of Siegen, Germany, and author of Humanitarian NGOs, (In)Security and Identity (Routledge, 2015).

1. Introduction: Researching Non-State Actors in International Security - A Multitude of Challenges, a Plurality of Approaches, Andreas Kruck and Andrea Schneiker 2. Conceptualizing Political Violence of Non-State Actors in International Security Research, Andreas Armborst Part I: Interpreting Texts 3. Rebels without a Cause: Narrative Analysis as a Method for Research on Rebel Movements, Alexander Spencer 4. PMSCs and Twitter: Sentiment Analysis as a Tool for Evaluating Social Media Data, Magnus Dau and Marlen Martin 5. Semi-Structured Interviews with Non-State and Security Actors, Anja Mihr 6. Combining Semi-Structured Interviews and Document Analysis in a Study of Private Security Expertise, Joakim Berndtsson 7. Discussion Chapter: Comments on "Interpreting Texts", Jutta Joachim Part II: Establishing Causal Claims 8. (Comparative) Case Studies: Combining Case Study Techniques for the Causal Analysis of Security Privatization, Andreas Kruck 9. Qualitative Comparative Analysis and the Study of Non-State Actors, Patrick Mello 10. Geospatial Analyses of Non-State Actors in Violent Conflicts, Alexander De Juan 11. Discussion Chapter: Shadow Boxing in Plato's Cave: Assessing Causal Claims, Bertjan Verbeek Part III: Doing Fieldwork 12. An Ethnographic Approach to Non-State Security: Participation Observation among Private Security Officers, Tessa Diphoorn 13. Using Experimental Methods in Post-Conflict Countries to Understand the Effects of Gender Reforms in the Liberian National Police, Sabrina Karim 14. Empirical Assessment of (Policy) Effectiveness: The Role of Business in Zones of Conflict, Melanie Coni-Zimmer and Klaus Dieter Wolf 15. Discussion Chapter: Practicing Reflexivity in Field Research, Jacqui True Conclusions and Perspectives for Researching Non-State Actors in International Security 16. From Cookbooks to Dictionaries in the Making: Methodological Perspectives for Research of Non-State Actors and Processes, Anna Leander