NATIONALIST POPULISM AND POST-COMMUNISM

3. A Short Insight into the Methodology

3.1. Why compare Poland and Slovakia? There are basically two ways to conduct comparative research. As proposed by Arend Lijphart, the first approach focuses on “really” similar cases. 55 With this method, the number of cases is limited and they are “extremely” matched. In the second strategy, as developed by Adam Przeworski and Henry Teune, the “most” different system design is preferred, based on a set of cases that are as diverse as possible. 56 In the case of the latter approach, the researchers are forced to distill out of the diversity a set of common elements with great explanatory power. Before choosing the most appropriate approach, it should be stressed that the perception of the terms “similar” and “different” is only relative. As David Collier noted, two cases that from one perspective are closely matched may contrast sharply from another perspective. 57 What strategy should be then applied when comparing Poland and Slovakia? Generally, even with these concrete cases the comparison might go in two directions. Poland and Slovakia may be considered to be similar, in terms of a general and simplified comparison of their historical development, experience with a communist government, social structure, or their recent political, economic and social transformations. However, given the small number of subjects – there are only two cases to be compared in my research study – a general overview is not sufficient and a much deeper analysis is required. Therefore, I will try to examine the Polish and Slovak cases as if they were most different rather than similar. This approach will enable me to examine more precisely the common factors among the two countries in the period of their post-communist transformations – the populist, instrumental exploitation of nationalist appeals and the symbols in the language of the political elite. Moreover, the most different systems research design provides the possibility to transport relationships discovered among the variables across a range of different countries. This is especially applicable to countries that are undergoing transformation processes. 58 55 A. Lijphart, “The Comparable Cases Strategy in Comparative Research,” Comparative Political Studies 8, No. 2 (July 1975). 56 A. Przeworski, H. Teune The Logic of Comparative Social Inquiry . (New York: Wiley Interscience 1970). 57 D. Collier, “The Comparative Method: Two Decades of Change”, D. A. Rustow, P. Kenneth (eds), Comparative Political Dynamics: Global Research Perspectives. (New York: Harper/ Collins 1991). 58 Even though the most different research design strategy is more variable-based and there exists

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