Research Framework (DP IB Global Politics: HL): Revision Note

Why structure your research?

• Effective case study preparation requires collecting and organising information systematically before the exam

• The goal is not to memorise everything - it is to understand the case deeply enough to deploy specific evidence confidently under exam conditions

• A structured framework ensures you collect the right information in the right format

• Crucially, a Global Politics case study is not just a body of facts - it is a body of facts read through an analytical framework that reveals the political dynamics at work.

  • Strong research collects both

Analytical lenses: deploying named concepts in your answers

• What separates a top-band Global Politics answer from a competent one is rarely the volume of facts

  • It is whether the student reads their case study through named analytical concepts, rather than describing events in general terms

• The IB syllabus rewards drawing on a range of analytical tools, including:

  • The four core concepts - power, sovereignty, legitimacy and interdependence

  • Theoretical perspectives - realism, liberalism, constructivism, feminism and others

  • Levels of analysis - local, national, international and global

  • Multiple stakeholder perspectives - how different actors understand the same situation

  • Topic-specific concepts - named ideas drawn from the academic literature on each global political challenge

Concepts that often illuminate cases by topic area

• The list below offers commonly useful starting points - concepts that have analytical traction on cases in each topic area

• Treat them as options to consider during research, not prescriptions

• The right concept depends on your specific case, and many cases will be illuminated by more than one

The six key questions

• For each case study, your research should answer six questions.

What to collect: a research checklist

Background and context

• The country or countries involved and relevant features of their political systems

• The historical background - what caused this situation?

• A timeline of key events in chronological order with accurate dates

• Scale - numbers of people affected, geographic scope and duration

Actors and stakeholders

• For each actor: their role, their interests and the specific actions they took

Data and evidence

• Statistics that illustrate the scale or severity of the issue

• Specific policy decisions - laws passed, agreements signed, resolutions adopted

• Named treaties, conventions, frameworks or legal rulings relevant to the case

• Key dates and turning points

Political consequences

• What changed as a result of this situation?

• Which actors gained or lost power or influence?

• What international responses were triggered - and how effective were they?

• What remains unresolved, and why?

Analytical reading

• This is the layer often missed in research which lets you down in the exam

• Capture it now, in your own words, while you have the sources in front of you

  • Which analytical concepts apply? - note the one or two named concepts that have most traction on your case (drawing on the table above, the four core concepts, or the theoretical perspectives in the core unit)

    • Identify the specific evidence for each

  • Cascade or process - if your topic area has a cascade model in the revision notes, trace how it plays out in your case

  • Counter-reading - is there a competing concept or interpretation?

    • Top-band answers often acknowledge that the same case can be read through more than one lens

  • Connections to other HL topic areas - paper 3 question 3 explicitly tests this

    • Identify at least two other HL topic areas your case connects to, and the precise mechanism of the connection

Reliable sources for case study research

Primary sources

• UN Security Council resolutions, reports and data

• UNHCR, WHO, World Bank, and other IGO annual reports and statistics

• Government policy documents and official statements

• NGO reports: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam, MSF

• International court rulings and legal documents

Secondary sources

• Reputable news organisations: BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera, The Guardian

• Think tanks: Chatham House, Council on Foreign Relations, International Crisis Group

• Academic journals accessible through your school library

• Quality textbooks and revision resources

What to watch for

• Check the date - is the information current and relevant to your case?

• Check the source - is it independent, or does it reflect a particular political position?

• Cross-reference key claims across at least two sources before relying on them as evidence

The case study profile

• Organise your research into a one-page case study profile for each of your cases

• A profile should include:

  • Title

  • Primary topic area(s)

  • Key dates

  • Three to five key statistics or facts

  • A brief actors table

  • Connections to the guiding questions

  • Analytical concepts — one or two named concepts that illuminate the case, with the specific evidence

  • Cascade or process — how the relevant cascade model (if applicable) plays out in this case

  • Connections to other HL topic areas — at least two, with the mechanism of connection

  • A prepared recommendation for question 2b

• Review and update your profile as your understanding develops