Interviewing Political Elites in Cross-Cultural Comparative Research

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Abstract
The experiences of researchers applying similar survey instruments in the study of legislators in three nation-states are reviewed. Problems of gaining access to respondents, the degree of co-operation encountered, respondents' candor, and interview location are compared. Cultural differences had distinguishable effects upon interviewers' success in handling these problems, but variation in the institutional contexts was of more importance. Prior knowledge of the respondent's institutional surroundings is of considerable aid to the interviewer. If interviewers are carefully selected and trained, cross-cultural comparative research among political elites utilizing standardized and structured survey instruments is both possible and profitable.

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