"How exactly is it done here?" Conducting cross-jurisdictional research with judges and court staff
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.1702Keywords:
multijurisdictional research, court organization, court governance, data qualityAbstract
The legal, political, and organizational environment in which judges and court staff work affects their performance in significant ways. To ensure that researchers control for these effects, it is critical that they take sufficient time in the research design phase to identify relevant factors that might complicate their analyses or distort the interpretation of research findings. This article highlights common challenges of multijurisdictional research, including inconsistent use of terminology, differing organizational structures and procedures, and exogenous factors such as court governance, policymaking authority, funding, and local court culture. It also offers guidance to researchers on identifying and integrating these factors into their analyses to enhance the validity and utility of research findings.
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