I metodi misti : le opportunità della contaminazione

Triangulation has been often invoked in order to overcome the limits and shortcomings of traditionally opposed approaches to empirical research, such as variable vs. case-oriented analysis, or large-N quantitative models vs. small-N qualitative thick descriptions. Consciously adopting a mixed methods approach is a way to systematize triangulation assuring both internal and external validity to our research inferences. In this article we will first explore the precise meaning of a mixed methods research design, whose major quality (and problem) lies in an accurate definition of the link between the approaches to be combined. Secondly we will present what looks like the most systematic effort to codify a mixed methods research protocol in political science, and eventually we will evaluate the pros and cons of this analytic strategy.