One of the most striking contrasts between journals in South African studies (or African studies more broadly) and journals in the social sciences in the USA or Europe is the balance between quantitative and qualitative research. In the USA, especially, a high proportion of contemporary research in political science and sociology as well as economics and development studies entails the analysis of quantitative data using ever more complex statistical techniques. In South Africa (and Africa) this kind of social science remains significantly underdeveloped.