Question

How does the sampling procedure employed in an international environment differ from that used domestically? What issues are relevant to a researcher’s decision to use the same sampling procedure across countries?

Answer 1

From a statistical and empirical standpoint, sampling procedure involves the various techniques and methods of selecting an appropriate and unbiased statistical sample with regards to the concerned research topic. Now, sampling procedure essentially depends on various factors and consideration such as the particular research topic or subject to be studied or examined, the context of the study, characteristics of the targeted sample in the context of the study or research topic, and so on. Therefore, considering that a particular research topic or subject related to any specific country or within the domestic periphery of that country, the sampling procedure would reasonably include considerations or factors such as the characteristics and features of the targeted sample chosen by the researcher in the context of the study or research topic, particular geographical areas from where the sample would be collected, the particular methods of sample selection, possible sources from where the sample can be collected, and so on, again within domestic limitations and boundaries of the particular concerned country. Hence, in this regard, the demographic features and characteristics of the targeted sample and the overall sociao-economic composition of the sample would also be confined within the domestic periphery of the specific country chosen for the research or study. On the other hand, in the context of the same or identical topic that pertains to international environment or scenario, it can be reasonably inferred that the characteristics or features of the targeted sample chosen for the study might possibly change as the factors or circumstances prevailing in the international scenario would be expectedly much different than the domestic context pertaining to the concerned study or research topic as these would practically and evidently vary across different countries and geographical locations across the world. Therefore, demographic features of the targeted sample, te overall sample size, specific geographical locations of sample collections, samples sources, and even the methods or techniques of sample selection and collection would be different in the case of international scenario compared to the domestic context. For example, a study on the intensity and impact of social and economic crime on the overall society in any particular developing or underdeveloped country might understandably prompt the researcher to choose or select its targeted sample of study predominantly from the geographical and physical locations within the lower-income neighborhoods and areas as it has been evidently seen that much of the petty social and economic crimes in these countries are mostly concentrated in relatively lower-income areas and neighborhoods due to various socio-economic and political reasons. Thus, from domestic perspective the researcher would expect to find most of the victims of these crimes from these neighborhoods and regions in any developing or undeveloped nations. On the other hand, the same study and the research topic in the international context, would reasonably imply that the sample size in this instance would be much more diversified and spread out compared to the domestic scenario as now the researchers might want to add certain individuals and households from relatively higher income and economically upscale neighborhoods and areas as well considering that in many developed countries social and economic crimes also occur fairly frequently in these neighborhoods and regions as well considering that in many of these countries the proportion of lower income individuals and households is comparatively less. Hence, the demographic features and composition of the targeted sample choen for any statistical study or research, the geographical sources of the sample, and the sample selection technique or procedure would expectedly change in the international environment compared to the domestic scenario given the fact that the contextual aspects and elements vary across various countries with regards to any particular study or research topic or subject.

Now, in this respect, it is also compratively easier to get sample in any particular country relative to the international context or cross country scenario in which the sample size would expectedly increase substantially pertaining to any research or study topic. Thus, considering the practical difficulties and constraints of sample collection, the researchers often rely on secondary data for research rather than primary data collection through actually sample collectionby going to the field, which might be practically possible in the case of any single country. Furthermore, as stated earlier, in the cross country or international context, it is important to consider the social, economic, and cultural differences across individual countries which would influence the compositional and demographical diversity of the respective samples collected from the selected countries in the study or research. Considering the geographical size and dimension and the overall population of the individual countries, the sample size would also practically vary according to individual countries. Aside from all these factors and considerations there are also other practical issues associated with sample collection or selection in the context of international environment such as physical and geographical accessibility of certain areas within individual countries, various government or administrative restrictions in respective countries, political situations of the respective countries, the time and financial constraint of the researcher in order to conduct cross-country sampling, and much more. Thus, given any specific research or study topic, the issues affecting sampling procedure and techniques in the international scenario would be expectedly much different than the same in the domestic context of any particular country.