Niranjan Devkota is a faculty member at the Department of Economics, Patan Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He has over a decade of experience in teaching, research, and consulting. He has been employed in key positions like Head of the Research Department, Visiting Professor, Guest Editor, Managing Editor, and Academic Editor of various journals. He is known for his expertise in research methodology and quantitative data analysis and is a regular trainer for University Grants Commission (UGC) supported training programs.Sushanta Kumar Mahapatra is currently a faculty at the Department of Economics, ICFAI School of Social Sciences at the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE) Deemed University, Hyderabad, India, and has more than two decades of experience in research, consulting, and teaching. His research areas are applied development economics, public policy, agricultural economics, trade and environment, water governance, institutions and policies, climate change and sustainable development, microfinance, and livelihood.

• List of Figures ix List of Tables x Foreword xii Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv 1 Conceptual Issues in Economic Research 1 2 Introduction of Research in Economics 43 3 Literature Review in Economic Research 78 4 Problem Definition, Theoretical Framework, and Hypothesis Formulation in Economic Research 131 5 Research Design in Economics Research 193 6 Measurement Scales, Sampling, and Operational Definition of Variables in Economics Research 238 7 Data Collection and Data Analysis in Economics 278 8 Topic Selection and Proposal Development for Economics Research 345 9 Development and Evaluation of Research Report for Economics Research 368 10 Developing, Preparing, and Publishing an Academic Paper 403 Annexure 1 491 Annexure 2 516 Bibliography 528 Index 535

“The concept, definition, and computation of quantitative and applied research methods in economics are addressed in this book using numerical examples. The book is helpful to anyone in other fields who wants to explore a quantitative approach, in addition to fresh graduates, researchers, and professors in the social sciences, business, and management.”Dr. Gurumurthy Kalyanaram, PhD Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars“This book provides theoretical and practical insights into the research process. It offers an overview of the fundamentals, including problem description, methodology, research design, data collecting, and analysis. It also offers helpful examples and detailed instructions to help with research-related problems. The writers offer their perspectives on how to write, edit, and publish scholarly works.”Prof. S. Mahendra Dev, Editor, Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) and Chairman, Institute for Development Studies, Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam, India“This is a significant and meticulous book on various data analysis techniques. A must read, it offers a thorough understanding of the use of data with a systematic and step-by-step explanation of using quantitative methods, helping to formulate the right research questions, choosing appropriate methodologies, and meeting publication standards.”Dr. A.K. Enamul Haque, SANDEE Board Member, Dean and Professor of Economics, East West University, and Director of Economic Research Group (ERG), Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Niranjan Devkota is a faculty member at the Department of Economics, Patan Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He has over a decade of experience in teaching, research, and consulting. He has been employed in key positions like Head of the Research Department, Visiting Professor, Guest Editor, Managing Editor, and Academic Editor of various journals. He is known for his expertise in research methodology and quantitative data analysis and is a regular trainer for University Grants Commission (UGC) supported training programs.Sushanta Kumar Mahapatra is currently a faculty at the Department of Economics, ICFAI School of Social Sciences at the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE) Deemed University, Hyderabad, India, and has more than two decades of experience in research, consulting, and teaching. His research areas are applied development economics, public policy, agricultural economics, trade and environment, water governance, institutions and policies, climate change and sustainable development, microfinance, and livelihood.

• List of Figures ix List of Tables x Foreword xii Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv 1 Conceptual Issues in Economic Research 1 2 Introduction of Research in Economics 43 3 Literature Review in Economic Research 78 4 Problem Definition, Theoretical Framework, and Hypothesis Formulation in Economic Research 131 5 Research Design in Economics Research 193 6 Measurement Scales, Sampling, and Operational Definition of Variables in Economics Research 238 7 Data Collection and Data Analysis in Economics 278 8 Topic Selection and Proposal Development for Economics Research 345 9 Development and Evaluation of Research Report for Economics Research 368 10 Developing, Preparing, and Publishing an Academic Paper 403 Annexure 1 491 Annexure 2 516 Bibliography 528 Index 535

“The concept, definition, and computation of quantitative and applied research methods in economics are addressed in this book using numerical examples. The book is helpful to anyone in other fields who wants to explore a quantitative approach, in addition to fresh graduates, researchers, and professors in the social sciences, business, and management.”Dr. Gurumurthy Kalyanaram, PhD Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars“This book provides theoretical and practical insights into the research process. It offers an overview of the fundamentals, including problem description, methodology, research design, data collecting, and analysis. It also offers helpful examples and detailed instructions to help with research-related problems. The writers offer their perspectives on how to write, edit, and publish scholarly works.”Prof. S. Mahendra Dev, Editor, Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) and Chairman, Institute for Development Studies, Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam, India“This is a significant and meticulous book on various data analysis techniques. A must read, it offers a thorough understanding of the use of data with a systematic and step-by-step explanation of using quantitative methods, helping to formulate the right research questions, choosing appropriate methodologies, and meeting publication standards.”Dr. A.K. Enamul Haque, SANDEE Board Member, Dean and Professor of Economics, East West University, and Director of Economic Research Group (ERG), Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Niranjan Devkota is a faculty member at the Department of Economics, Patan Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He has over a decade of experience in teaching, research, and consulting. He has been employed in key positions like Head of the Research Department, Visiting Professor, Guest Editor, Managing Editor, and Academic Editor of various journals. He is known for his expertise in research methodology and quantitative data analysis and is a regular trainer for University Grants Commission (UGC) supported training programs.Sushanta Kumar Mahapatra is currently a faculty at the Department of Economics, ICFAI School of Social Sciences at the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE) Deemed University, Hyderabad, India, and has more than two decades of experience in research, consulting, and teaching. His research areas are applied development economics, public policy, agricultural economics, trade and environment, water governance, institutions and policies, climate change and sustainable development, microfinance, and livelihood.

• List of Figures ix List of Tables x Foreword xii Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv 1 Conceptual Issues in Economic Research 1 2 Introduction of Research in Economics 43 3 Literature Review in Economic Research 78 4 Problem Definition, Theoretical Framework, and Hypothesis Formulation in Economic Research 131 5 Research Design in Economics Research 193 6 Measurement Scales, Sampling, and Operational Definition of Variables in Economics Research 238 7 Data Collection and Data Analysis in Economics 278 8 Topic Selection and Proposal Development for Economics Research 345 9 Development and Evaluation of Research Report for Economics Research 368 10 Developing, Preparing, and Publishing an Academic Paper 403 Annexure 1 491 Annexure 2 516 Bibliography 528 Index 535

“The concept, definition, and computation of quantitative and applied research methods in economics are addressed in this book using numerical examples. The book is helpful to anyone in other fields who wants to explore a quantitative approach, in addition to fresh graduates, researchers, and professors in the social sciences, business, and management.”Dr. Gurumurthy Kalyanaram, PhD Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars“This book provides theoretical and practical insights into the research process. It offers an overview of the fundamentals, including problem description, methodology, research design, data collecting, and analysis. It also offers helpful examples and detailed instructions to help with research-related problems. The writers offer their perspectives on how to write, edit, and publish scholarly works.”Prof. S. Mahendra Dev, Editor, Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) and Chairman, Institute for Development Studies, Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam, India“This is a significant and meticulous book on various data analysis techniques. A must read, it offers a thorough understanding of the use of data with a systematic and step-by-step explanation of using quantitative methods, helping to formulate the right research questions, choosing appropriate methodologies, and meeting publication standards.”Dr. A.K. Enamul Haque, SANDEE Board Member, Dean and Professor of Economics, East West University, and Director of Economic Research Group (ERG), Dhaka, Bangladesh.