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The conduct of social research in Latin America: A personal view of problems in open and closed societies

  • Development Theory
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Abstract

The barriers to social research in Latin America are substantial, and go far beyond textbook descriptions of orthodox methods and techniques of investigation. The scholar working in the field must be alert to opportunities and sensitive to atypical research issues. Flexibility is a prerequisite, one requiring personal insight into the society and polity being studied. Contrasts are drawn between research in open and in closed societies. However, these are not necessarily polar extremes in terms of the context for inquiry; one is not axiomatically more difficult than the other. The one certainty that may be anticipated, as suggested by more than a quarter-century of personal experience, lies in the unpredictability of challenges and obstacles which enrich the skills and the understanding of the investigator.

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Authors
  1. John D. Martz
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Additional information

John D. Martz is a professor in the Department of Political Science at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. He is also the editor ofStudies in Comparative International Development.

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Martz, J.D. The conduct of social research in Latin America: A personal view of problems in open and closed societies. Studies in Comparative International Development 24, 47–64 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02687093

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02687093

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