Researching Non-state Actors in International Security

Andreas Kruck is Assistant Professor of Global Governance at Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany, and co-author of International Organization (2012).Andrea Schneiker is Professor of Political Science at the University of Siegen, Germany, and author of Humanitarian NGOs, (In)Security and Identity (Routledge, 2015).

• 1. Introduction: Researching Non-State Actors in International Security – A Multitude of Challenges, a Plurality of Approaches, Andreas Kruck and Andrea Schneiker2. Conceptualizing Political Violence of Non-State Actors in International Security Research, Andreas ArmborstPart I: Interpreting Texts3. Rebels without a Cause: Narrative Analysis as a Method for Research on Rebel Movements, Alexander Spencer4. PMSCs and Twitter: Sentiment Analysis as a Tool for Evaluating Social Media Data, Magnus Dau and Marlen Martin5. Semi-Structured Interviews with Non-State and Security Actors, Anja Mihr6. Combining Semi-Structured Interviews and Document Analysis in a Study of Private Security Expertise, Joakim Berndtsson7. Discussion Chapter: Comments on "Interpreting Texts", Jutta JoachimPart II: Establishing Causal Claims8. (Comparative) Case Studies: Combining Case Study Techniques for the Causal Analysis of Security Privatization, Andreas Kruck9. Qualitative Comparative Analysis and the Study of Non-State Actors, Patrick Mello10. Geospatial Analyses of Non-State Actors in Violent Conflicts, Alexander De Juan11. Discussion Chapter: Shadow Boxing in Plato’s Cave: Assessing Causal Claims, Bertjan VerbeekPart III: Doing Fieldwork12. An Ethnographic Approach to Non-State Security: Participation Observation among Private Security Officers, Tessa Diphoorn13. Using Experimental Methods in Post-Conflict Countries to Understand the Effects of Gender Reforms in the Liberian National Police, Sabrina Karim14. Empirical Assessment of (Policy) Effectiveness: The Role of Business in Zones of Conflict, Melanie Coni-Zimmer and Klaus Dieter Wolf15. Discussion Chapter: Practicing Reflexivity in Field Research, Jacqui TrueConclusions and Perspectives for Researching Non-State Actors in International Security16. From Cookbooks to Dictionaries in the Making: Methodological Perspectives for Research of Non-State Actors and Processes, Anna Leander

'..the volume as a whole offers a valuable glance into the world of researching non-state actors in international security and is refreshingly open about the challenges and trade-offs most of us face in our work. I therefore warmly recommended it to all those studying the subject.'--Hilde van Meegdenburg, International Affairs, vol. 94(5)'Researching Non-State Actors in International Security provides readers with an insightful overview of some of the methodological options available to them, and encourages them to apply them in as fuid, refective, and imaginative a manner as the nature of their analyses demands.'--Giancarlo Fiorella, Security Journal vol. 32 (2019)