Introduction
Research seeks to give some facts as to why something is or is not. It involves fact finding by means of collecting data and creating or choosing a hypothesis. Hypothesis in turn is a means to validate the testability of a research problem. As a result, it gives them a connection between the problems being researched on: connecting the observations and the solutions to a problem.
Therefore, a hypothesis takes into account a tentative suggestion into the nature of the problem facing the researcher. Many writers has suggested that research, just like a question, takes the course of why “if an event P then R “is the result. The whole process therefore involves determination of variables that cause the effect. Depending on the type of research at hand, variable types may be demographic, behavioral, attitude-based, and those based on beliefs or things. Whatever the description of a variable, all have two attributes: they must be mutually exclusive and exhaustive.
Research Problem
The research problem that would be investigated here is whether the government uses deterrence to prohibit nonprofit organization’s bid to involve in policy making processes (Berry, 2005). This research problem seeks to establish if the policies made by the government deliberately sideline the involvement of non-profit organizations the right to vote and therefore have an opportunity to pass some legislative laws that favor them. Non-profit organizations take the form of helping the lowly in the society. Therefore, does the government restrain these organizations to participate in the policy-making processes?
This is an empirical problem and therefore, it shall collect data from the government database that accurately provides information: financial and level of operation. From this information, research units shall be household and institutional. At institutional level, questionnaires will be sent to the management of the sample organizations with questions targeting answer to whether they are restricted in civic legislation (Brink, 2004). Another unit would be to involve members of these individual organizations with the help of questionnaires to obtain the empirical data about how they view the government’s role in their participation in the policy-making process (Kirkham & Ford, 2009).
Individualistic fallacies are more likely to arise when the household units are targeted for date collection. This shall be avoided by clearly drawing a comparison in the findings at the institutional level.
Hypothesis one would be: the government restricts non-profit organizations participation policy-making. Independent variable here would be the government’s restriction, dependent factor would be lack of participation in policy making by the non-profit organizations. Control variables would be sections of the Laws are used to restrict.
Hypothesis two would be: some sections of the government Laws are not clear to allow non-profit organizations participation in the policy-making process. Independent variables would be the clarity of the laws, the dependent variable would be misinterpretation of the Laws by non-profit organizations and the control variable would be the legislation processes of policy-making are unclear. Any changes in the variables would render the two hypotheses invalid. Therefore, they remain as they are.
Conclusion
Choice of a research design is not a haphazard process. It involves a clear definition of a knowledge claim that a researcher is after. As shown from this section, all this depends on choosing a hypothesis that is testable. The problem under investigation depends also; to a significant extent, on the type of variables; dependent, independent and control variables. A hypothesis which is testable makes future reproduction of the same results for future researchers. The end product is that research shall avoid: bias in the results and reduction in fallacies (ecological and individualistic).
References
Berry, J. M. (2005). Nonprofits and civic engagement. Public Administration Review, 65, 568–578.
Brink, H.C. (2004). Measuring political risks: risk to foreign investment. Burlington: Ashgate publishing company.
Kirkham, K., & Ford, D. A. (2009). Are state marriage initiatives having an effect? An initial exploration of the impact on divorce and childhood poverty rates. Public Administration Review, 69, 846–854.