Toward Improved Use of Regression in Macro-Comparative Analysis

Shalev's third suggested path for progress consists of using tables, graphs, and tree diagrams to examine causal hierarchy and complexity and to identify cases meriting more in-depth scrutiny. This should be viewed not as (or at least not solely as) a substitute for regression but rather as a critical component of regression analysis. All of us were (I hope) taught in our first regression course that it is not enough to simply get the data, estimate some regression equations, and then draw conclusions. It also is necessary to get a feel for the data, in large part by examining descriptive statistics and looking at bivariate and/or multivariate patterns. Too many macro-comparativists, I suspect, either do not do this at all or do not do it sufficiently carefully.