"I am a huge fan of mixed methods research. I think that research becomes richer and more credible when one can deploy multiple methods to solve the same problem. For example, [using randomised experiments along with observational data] can balance precision in estimating causal effects with a rich view of how things work in the real world, outside of the confines of an experimental setup."
- Dr Blake Miller shares his favourite research method as part of our 30th Anniversary celebrations. Read the full close-up with Methodology faculty.
Blake Miller is an Assistant Professor of Computational Social Science in the Methodology Department at the London School of Economics. He received his PhD in Political Science and Scientific Computing from the University of Michigan in 2018 where he was also a graduate research affiliate in the Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies. Before coming to LSE, he was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Dartmouth College Program in Quantitative Social Science. For more information, please visit www.blakeapm.com.
Research interests
Blake's current methodological research agenda develops methods that provide researchers with the necessary tools to annotate large, unbalanced text corpora using active learning. He also is developing tools to increase the external validity of media effects experiments using realistic, interactive survey vignettes.
His substantive work explores how authoritarian regimes and illiberal political actors can manipulate social media to mobilize violence and influence political opinion and behaviour. Much of his work focuses on the case of China, exploring how the Chinese Communist Party controls information to achieve its political goals.