Communication Inefficiencies and Research Validity in International Studies.

In this essay, I propose that a focus on research validity can improve communications among scholars of international studies who use a variety of methodological approaches because validity as a unifying standard allows for greater flexibility of methodological and empirical approaches to theoretical concepts. Social science disciplines have recently been more concerned with replication and transparency as the standards by which social science research is measured and valued. I apply transparency, replication, and validity to five identified inefficiencies in international studies communication and an examination of judicial independence/international studies research. This application indicates that validity is the more useful standard in that it addresses four of the five communication inefficiencies. Linking validity to advancing causal inference research, creating incentives for multimethod research teams, and improving social science communication to the lay public can also facilitate communication among international studies scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]