Gender and Occupational Stratification in Naples: A Survey Experiment.

This case in methodology provides an account of three-years-long research, giving the reader an insight into some specific methodological problems that arose in the course of research. The case focuses on the main challenges in using Thurstone scale to construct a valid and reliable occupational stratification scheme and in testing stability of such scheme. These challenges refer to sampling, methods of administration of questionnaire and testing techniques. Thinking about such challenges leads to a more general consideration of the relationship between survey and experimentation in social research.