Develop and present your argument based on the evidence and your analysis.

Comparative Research Project

The research project will consist of comparing a topic/issue across three countries. (Public Administration/Bureaucracy in Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and Botswana). Reports should be about 10 pages (double-spaced) in length. Students can either work with their case study group and develop the paper based on that comparative case, or they can work individually on any
subject of interest.

Steps:
1. Select a substantive topic to be examined. (Comparative Analysis of Public Administration: Lessons from Nigeria and Botswana for the Democratic Republic of the Congo)
2. Select three countries to base your research on. You will be conducting a comparative
analysis of your chosen topic across these three countries. (DRC, Nigeria, Botswana)
3. Develop a research question related to the above. The research question is the question
that your research project sets out to answer. It will help to guide your research.
4. Collect your evidence (research articles, data, reports, etc.) and conduct your comparative
analysis. (Scholarly sources)
5. Develop and present your argument based on the evidence and your analysis.
6. Draw your conclusions.

Structure of the report:
1. Introduction:
a. Present the topic
b. Provide a statement about the significance of the topic
c. Present the research question (RQ)
d. Present the thesis statement (your argument)
2. Background/context and methods:
a. Relevant background around your topic and its relevance in the two countries you
have chosen.
b. Case selection: why it makes sense to compare these countries to answer the RQ,
what variables you will be comparing across the three countries.
c. Briefly discuss your methods, how you will respond to the RQ (i.e. comparative
analysis) and the data sources you will use.
3. Body:
a. Present your evidence, cite sources, develop your comparative analysis and
support your arguments.
4. Conclusion:
a. Answer the RQ and discuss why your findings are important, what we can learn
from them, etc.
The bibliography for the research paper should have at least 10 sources well referenced in the
text. Half your sources must include academic journal articles or books. Web sources must come
from reputable and recognizable government or research websites.

Evaluation criteria:

Projects will primarily be evaluated according to the criteria described in the Comparative case
study document. Other criteria include:
Organization of the report, transitions between ideas and arguments.
General presentation and writing style: spelling, punctuation and grammar; writing; citing all
relevant sources of information.