Case study

Last updated

A case study is an in-depth, detailed examination of a particular case (or cases) within a real-world context. [1] [2] For example, case studies in medicine may focus on an individual patient or ailment; case studies in business might cover a particular firm's strategy or a broader market; similarly, case studies in politics can range from a narrow happening over time like the operations of a specific political campaign, to an enormous undertaking like world war, or more often the policy analysis of real-world problems affecting multiple stakeholders.

Contents

Generally, a case study can highlight nearly any individual, group, organization, event, belief system, or action. A case study does not necessarily have to be one observation (N=1), but may include many observations (one or multiple individuals and entities across multiple time periods, all within the same case study). [3] [4] [5] [6] Research projects involving numerous cases are frequently called cross-case research, whereas a study of a single case is called within-case research. [5] [7]

Case study research has been extensively practiced in both the social and natural sciences. [8] [9] :5–6 [10] [11]

Definition

There are multiple definitions of case studies, which may emphasize the number of observations (a small N), the method (qualitative), the thickness of the research (a comprehensive examination of a phenomenon and its context), and the naturalism (a "real-life context" is being examined) involved in the research. [12] There is general agreement among scholars that a case study does not necessarily have to entail one observation (N=1), but can include many observations within a single case or across numerous cases. [3] [4] [5] [6] For example, a case study of the French Revolution would at the bare minimum be an observation of two observations: France before and after a revolution. [13] John Gerring writes that the N=1 research design is so rare in practice that it amounts to a "myth". [13]

The term cross-case research is frequently used for studies of multiple cases, whereas within-case research is frequently used for a single case study. [5] [7]

John Gerring defines the case study approach as an "intensive study of a single unit or a small number of units (the cases), for the purpose of understanding a larger class of similar units (a population of cases)". [14] According to Gerring, case studies lend themselves to an idiographic style of analysis, whereas quantitative work lends itself to a nomothetic style of analysis. [15] He adds that "the defining feature of qualitative work is its use of noncomparable observations—observations that pertain to different aspects of a causal or descriptive question", whereas quantitative observations are comparable. [15]

According to John Gerring, the key characteristic that distinguishes case studies from all other methods is the "reliance on evidence drawn from a single case and its attempts, at the same time, to illuminate features of a broader set of cases". [13] Scholars use case studies to shed light on a "class" of phenomena.

Research designs

As with other social science methods, no single research design dominates case study research. Case studies can use at least four types of designs. First, there may be a "no theory first" type of case study design, which is closely connected to Kathleen M. Eisenhardt's methodological work. [16] [17] A second type of research design highlights the distinction between single- and multiple-case studies, following Robert K. Yin's guidelines and extensive examples. [16] [9] A third design deals with a "social construction of reality", represented by the work of Robert E. Stake. [16] [18] Finally, the design rationale for a case study may be to identify "anomalies". A representative scholar of this design is Michael Burawoy. [16] [19] Each of these four designs may lead to different applications, and understanding their sometimes unique ontological and epistemological assumptions becomes important. However, although the designs can have substantial methodological differences, the designs also can be used in explicitly acknowledged combinations with each other.

While case studies can be intended to provide bounded explanations of single cases or phenomena, they are often intended to raise theoretical insights about the features of a broader population. [20]

Case selection and structure

Case selection in case study research is generally intended to find cases that are representative samples and which have variations on the dimensions of theoretical interest. [20] Using that is solely representative, such as an average or typical case is often not the richest in information. In clarifying lines of history and causation it is more useful to select subjects that offer an interesting, unusual, or particularly revealing set of circumstances. A case selection that is based on representativeness will seldom be able to produce these kinds of insights.

While a random selection of cases is a valid case selection strategy in large-N research, there is a consensus among scholars that it risks generating serious biases in small-N research. [21] [22] [20] [23] Random selection of cases may produce unrepresentative cases, as well as uninformative cases. [23] Cases should generally be chosen that have a high expected information gain. [24] [20] [25] For example, outlier cases (those which are extreme, deviant or atypical) can reveal more information than the potentially representative case. [25] [26] [27] A case may also be chosen because of the inherent interest of the case or the circumstances surrounding it. Alternatively, it may be chosen because of researchers' in-depth local knowledge; where researchers have this local knowledge they are in a position to "soak and poke" as Richard Fenno put it, [28] and thereby to offer reasoned lines of explanation based on this rich knowledge of setting and circumstances.

Beyond decisions about case selection and the subject and object of the study, decisions need to be made about the purpose, approach, and process of the case study. Gary Thomas thus proposes a typology for the case study wherein purposes are first identified (evaluative or exploratory), then approaches are delineated (theory-testing, theory-building, or illustrative), then processes are decided upon, with a principal choice being between whether the study is to be single or multiple, and choices also about whether the study is to be retrospective, snapshot or diachronic, and whether it is nested, parallel or sequential. [29]

In a 2015 article, John Gerring and Jason Seawright list seven case selection strategies: [20]

  1. Typical cases are cases that exemplify a stable cross-case relationship. These cases are representative of the larger population of cases, and the purpose of the study is to look within the case rather than compare it with other cases.
  2. Diverse cases are cases that have variations on the relevant X and Y variables. Due to the range of variation on the relevant variables, these cases are representative of the full population of cases.
  3. Extreme cases are cases that have an extreme value on the X or Y variable relative to other cases.
  4. Deviant cases are cases that defy existing theories and common sense. They not only have extreme values on X or Y (like extreme cases) but defy existing knowledge about causal relations.
  5. Influential cases are cases that are central to a model or theory (for example, Nazi Germany in theories of fascism and the far-right).
  6. Most similar cases are cases that are similar on all the independent variables, except the one of interest to the researcher.
  7. Most different cases are cases that are different on all the independent variables, except the one of interest to the researcher.

For theoretical discovery, Jason Seawright recommends using deviant cases or extreme cases that have an extreme value on the X variable. [25]

Arend Lijphart, and Harry Eckstein identified five types of case study research designs (depending on the research objectives), Alexander George and Andrew Bennett added a sixth category: [30]

  1. Atheoretical (or configurative idiographic) case studies aim to describe a case very well, but not to contribute to a theory.
  2. Interpretative (or disciplined configurative) case studies aim to use established theories to explain a specific case.
  3. Hypothesis-generating (or heuristic) case studies aim to inductively identify new variables, hypotheses, causal mechanisms, and causal paths.
  4. Theory testing case studies aim to assess the validity and scope conditions of existing theories.
  5. Plausibility probes, aim to assess the plausibility of new hypotheses and theories.
  6. Building block studies of types or subtypes, aim to identify common patterns across cases.

Aaron Rapport reformulated "least-likely" and "most-likely" case selection strategies into the "countervailing conditions" case selection strategy. The countervailing conditions case selection strategy has three components: [31]

  1. The chosen cases fall within the scope conditions of both the primary theory being tested and the competing alternative hypotheses.
  2. For the theories being tested, the analyst must derive clearly stated expected outcomes.
  3. In determining how difficult a test is, the analyst should identify the strength of countervailing conditions in the chosen cases.

In terms of case selection, Gary King, Robert Keohane, and Sidney Verba warn against "selecting on the dependent variable". They argue for example that researchers cannot make valid causal inferences about war outbreaks by only looking at instances where war did happen (the researcher should also look at cases where war did not happen). [22] Scholars of qualitative methods have disputed this claim, however. They argue that selecting the dependent variable can be useful depending on the purposes of the research. [24] [32] [33] Barbara Geddes shares their concerns with selecting the dependent variable (she argues that it cannot be used for theory testing purposes), but she argues that selecting on the dependent variable can be useful for theory creation and theory modification. [34]

King, Keohane, and Verba argue that there is no methodological problem in selecting the explanatory variable, however. They do warn about multicollinearity (choosing two or more explanatory variables that perfectly correlate with each other). [22]

Uses

Case studies have commonly been seen as a fruitful way to come up with hypotheses and generate theories. [21] [22] [24] [35] [15] Case studies are useful for understanding outliers or deviant cases. [36] Classic examples of case studies that generated theories includes Darwin's theory of evolution (derived from his travels to the Easter Island), and Douglass North's theories of economic development (derived from case studies of early developing states, such as England). [35]

Case studies are also useful for formulating concepts, which are an important aspect of theory construction. [37] The concepts used in qualitative research will tend to have higher conceptual validity than concepts used in quantitative research (due to conceptual stretching: the unintentional comparison of dissimilar cases). [24] Case studies add descriptive richness, [38] [33] and can have greater internal validity than quantitative studies. [39] Case studies are suited to explain outcomes in individual cases, which is something that quantitative methods are less equipped to do. [32]

Case studies have been characterized as useful to assess the plausibility of arguments that explain empirical regularities. [40] Case studies are also useful for understanding outliers or deviant cases. [36]

Through fine-gained knowledge and description, case studies can fully specify the causal mechanisms in a way that may be harder in a large-N study. [41] [38] [42] [21] [43] [36] In terms of identifying "causal mechanisms", some scholars distinguish between "weak" and "strong chains". Strong chains actively connect elements of the causal chain to produce an outcome whereas weak chains are just intervening variables. [44]

Case studies of cases that defy existing theoretical expectations may contribute knowledge by delineating why the cases violate theoretical predictions and specifying the scope conditions of the theory. [21] Case studies are useful in situations of causal complexity where there may be equifinality, complex interaction effects and path dependency. [24] [45] They may also be more appropriate for empirical verifications of strategic interactions in rationalist scholarship than quantitative methods. [46] Case studies can identify necessary and insufficient conditions, as well as complex combinations of necessary and sufficient conditions. [24] [32] [47] They argue that case studies may also be useful in identifying the scope conditions of a theory: whether variables are sufficient or necessary to bring about an outcome. [24] [32]

Qualitative research may be necessary to determine whether a treatment is as-if random or not. As a consequence, good quantitative observational research often entails a qualitative component. [15]

Limitations

Designing Social Inquiry (also called "KKV"), an influential 1994 book written by Gary King, Robert Keohane, and Sidney Verba, primarily applies lessons from regression-oriented analysis to qualitative research, arguing that the same logics of causal inference can be used in both types of research. [22] [48] [37] The authors' recommendation is to increase the number of observations (a recommendation that Barbara Geddes also makes in Paradigms and Sand Castles), [34] because few observations make it harder to estimate multiple causal effects, as well as increase the risk that there is measurement error, and that an event in a single case was caused by random error or unobservable factors. [22] KKV sees process-tracing and qualitative research as being "unable to yield strong causal inference" due to the fact that qualitative scholars would struggle with determining which of many intervening variables truly links the independent variable with a dependent variable. The primary problem is that qualitative research lacks a sufficient number of observations to properly estimate the effects of an independent variable. They write that the number of observations could be increased through various means, but that would simultaneously lead to another problem: that the number of variables would increase and thus reduce degrees of freedom. [37] Christopher H. Achen and Duncan Snidal similarly argue that case studies are not useful for theory construction and theory testing. [49]

The purported "degrees of freedom" problem that KKV identify is widely considered flawed; while quantitative scholars try to aggregate variables to reduce the number of variables and thus increase the degrees of freedom, qualitative scholars intentionally want their variables to have many different attributes and complexity. [50] [24] For example, James Mahoney writes, "the Bayesian nature of process of tracing explains why it is inappropriate to view qualitative research as suffering from a small-N problem and certain standard causal identification problems." [51] By using Bayesian probability, it may be possible to makes strong causal inferences from a small sliver of data. [52] [53]

KKV also identify inductive reasoning in qualitative research as a problem, arguing that scholars should not revise hypotheses during or after data has been collected because it allows for ad hoc theoretical adjustments to fit the collected data. [54] However, scholars have pushed back on this claim, noting that inductive reasoning is a legitimate practice (both in qualitative and quantitative research). [55]

A commonly described limit of case studies is that they do not lend themselves to generalizability. [22] Due to the small number of cases, it may be harder to ensure that the chosen cases are representative of the larger population. [39]

As small-N research should not rely on random sampling, scholars must be careful in avoiding selection bias when picking suitable cases. [21] A common criticism of qualitative scholarship is that cases are chosen because they are consistent with the scholar's preconceived notions, resulting in biased research. [21] Alexander George and Andrew Bennett also note that a common problem in case study research is that of reconciling conflicting interpretations of the same data. [24] Another limit of case study research is that it can be hard to estimate the magnitude of causal effects. [56]

Teaching case studies

Teachers may prepare a case study that will then be used in classrooms in the form of a "teaching" case study (also see case method and casebook method). For instance, as early as 1870 at Harvard Law School, Christopher Langdell departed from the traditional lecture-and-notes approach to teaching contract law and began using cases pled before courts as the basis for class discussions. [57] By 1920, this practice had become the dominant pedagogical approach used by law schools in the United States. [58]

Engineering students participate in a case study competition. Case Study Caption 1.jpg
Engineering students participate in a case study competition.

Outside of law, teaching case studies have become popular in many different fields and professions, ranging from business education to science education. The Harvard Business School has been among the most prominent developers and users of teaching case studies. [59] [60] Teachers develop case studies with particular learning objectives in mind. Additional relevant documentation, such as financial statements, time-lines, short biographies, and multimedia supplements (such as video-recordings of interviews) often accompany the case studies. Similarly, teaching case studies have become increasingly popular in science education, covering different biological and physical sciences. The National Center for Case Studies in Teaching Science has made a growing body of teaching case studies available for classroom use, for university as well as secondary school coursework. [61] [62]

See also

Related Research Articles

The theory of statistics provides a basis for the whole range of techniques, in both study design and data analysis, that are used within applications of statistics. The theory covers approaches to statistical-decision problems and to statistical inference, and the actions and deductions that satisfy the basic principles stated for these different approaches. Within a given approach, statistical theory gives ways of comparing statistical procedures; it can find the best possible procedure within a given context for given statistical problems, or can provide guidance on the choice between alternative procedures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qualitative research</span> Form of research

Qualitative research is a type of research that aims to gather and analyse non-numerical (descriptive) data in order to gain an understanding of individuals' social reality, including understanding their attitudes, beliefs, and motivation. This type of research typically involves in-depth interviews, focus groups, or field observations in order to collect data that is rich in detail and context. Qualitative research is often used to explore complex phenomena or to gain insight into people's experiences and perspectives on a particular topic. It is particularly useful when researchers want to understand the meaning that people attach to their experiences or when they want to uncover the underlying reasons for people's behavior. Qualitative methods include ethnography, grounded theory, discourse analysis, and interpretative phenomenological analysis. Qualitative research methods have been used in sociology, anthropology, political science, psychology, communication studies, social work, folklore, educational research, information science and software engineering research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social research</span> Research conducted by social scientists

Social research is research conducted by social scientists following a systematic plan. Social research methodologies can be classified as quantitative and qualitative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quantitative research</span> All procedures for the numerical representation of empirical facts

Quantitative research is a research strategy that focuses on quantifying the collection and analysis of data. It is formed from a deductive approach where emphasis is placed on the testing of theory, shaped by empiricist and positivist philosophies.

Educational research refers to the systematic collection and analysis of evidence and data related to the field of education. Research may involve a variety of methods and various aspects of education including student learning, interaction, teaching methods, teacher training, and classroom dynamics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Content analysis</span> Research method for studying documents and communication artifacts

Content analysis is the study of documents and communication artifacts, which might be texts of various formats, pictures, audio or video. Social scientists use content analysis to examine patterns in communication in a replicable and systematic manner. One of the key advantages of using content analysis to analyse social phenomena is their non-invasive nature, in contrast to simulating social experiences or collecting survey answers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methodology</span> Study of research methods

In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for bringing about a certain goal, like acquiring knowledge or verifying knowledge claims. This normally involves various steps, like choosing a sample, collecting data from this sample, and interpreting the data. The study of methods concerns a detailed description and analysis of these processes. It includes evaluative aspects by comparing different methods. This way, it is assessed what advantages and disadvantages they have and for what research goals they may be used. These descriptions and evaluations depend on philosophical background assumptions. Examples are how to conceptualize the studied phenomena and what constitutes evidence for or against them. When understood in the widest sense, methodology also includes the discussion of these more abstract issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comparative politics</span> Field in political science

Comparative politics is a field in political science characterized either by the use of the comparative method or other empirical methods to explore politics both within and between countries. Substantively, this can include questions relating to political institutions, political behavior, conflict, and the causes and consequences of economic development. When applied to specific fields of study, comparative politics may be referred to by other names, such as comparative government.

Internal validity is the extent to which a piece of evidence supports a claim about cause and effect, within the context of a particular study. It is one of the most important properties of scientific studies and is an important concept in reasoning about evidence more generally. Internal validity is determined by how well a study can rule out alternative explanations for its findings. It contrasts with external validity, the extent to which results can justify conclusions about other contexts. Both internal and external validity can be described using qualitative or quantitative forms of causal notation.

<i>States and Social Revolutions</i> 1979 book by Theda Skocpol

States and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia and China is a 1979 book by Theda Skocpol, published by Cambridge University Press, that examines the causes of social revolutions.

Truncated regression models are a class of models in which the sample has been truncated for certain ranges of the dependent variable. That means observations with values in the dependent variable below or above certain thresholds are systematically excluded from the sample. Therefore, whole observations are missing, so that neither the dependent nor the independent variable is known. This is in contrast to censored regression models where only the value of the dependent variable is clustered at a lower threshold, an upper threshold, or both, while the value for independent variables is available.

Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research is an influential 1994 book written by Gary King, Robert Keohane, and Sidney Verba that lays out guidelines for conducting qualitative research. The central thesis of the book is that qualitative and quantitative research share the same "logic of inference." The book primarily applies lessons from regression-oriented analysis to qualitative research, arguing that the same logics of causal inference can be used in both types of research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comparative historical research</span> Method in the social sciences

Comparative historical research is a method of social science that examines historical events in order to create explanations that are valid beyond a particular time and place, either by direct comparison to other historical events, theory building, or reference to the present day. Generally, it involves comparisons of social processes across times and places. It overlaps with historical sociology. While the disciplines of history and sociology have always been connected, they have connected in different ways at different times. This form of research may use any of several theoretical orientations. It is distinguished by the types of questions it asks, not the theoretical framework it employs.

In statistics, qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) is a data analysis based on set theory to examine the relationship of conditions to outcome. QCA describes the relationship in terms of necessary conditions and sufficient conditions. The technique was originally developed by Charles Ragin in 1987 to study data sets that are too small for linear regression analysis but large for cross-case analysis.

David Collier is an American political scientist specializing in comparative politics. He is Chancellor's Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He works in the fields of comparative politics, Latin American politics, and methodology. His father was the anthropologist Donald Collier.

Process tracing is a qualitative research method used to develop and test theories. Process-tracing can be defined as the following: it is the systematic examination of diagnostic evidence selected and analyzed in light of research questions and hypotheses posed by the investigator. Process-tracing thus focuses on (complex) causal relationships between the independent variable(s) and the outcome of the dependent variable(s), evaluates pre-existing hypotheses and discovers new ones. It is generally understood as a "within-case" method to draw inferences on the basis of causal mechanisms, but it can also be used for ideographic research or small-N case-studies. It has been used in social sciences, as well as in natural sciences.

Experimental political science is the use of experiments, which may be natural or controlled, to implement the scientific method in political science.

Causal inference is the process of determining the independent, actual effect of a particular phenomenon that is a component of a larger system. The main difference between causal inference and inference of association is that causal inference analyzes the response of an effect variable when a cause of the effect variable is changed. The study of why things occur is called etiology, and can be described using the language of scientific causal notation. Causal inference is said to provide the evidence of causality theorized by causal reasoning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Critical realism (philosophy of the social sciences)</span> Philosophical approach to understanding science

Critical realism is a philosophical approach to understanding science, and in particular social science, initially developed by Roy Bhaskar (1944–2014). It specifically opposes forms of empiricism and positivism by viewing science as concerned with identifying causal mechanisms. In the last decades of the twentieth century it also stood against various forms of postmodernism and poststructuralism by insisting on the reality of objective existence. In contrast to positivism's methodological foundation, and poststructuralism's epistemological foundation, critical realism insists that (social) science should be built from an explicit ontology. Critical realism is one of a range of types of philosophical realism, as well as forms of realism advocated within social science such as analytic realism and subtle realism.

Harry H. Eckstein was an American political scientist. He was an influential scholar of comparative politics and political culture, as well as qualitative research methods.

References

  1. Bromley, D. B. (1986). The case-study method in psychology and related disciplines. Chichester: Wiley. ISBN   0-471-90853-3. OCLC   12235475.
  2. Feagin, Joe R.; Orum, Anthony M.; Sjoberg, Gideon (1991). A Case for the case study. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN   0-8078-1973-5. OCLC   22909879.
  3. 1 2 Geddes, Barbara (2003). Paradigms and Sand Castles. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. p. 117. doi:10.3998/mpub.11910. ISBN   978-0-472-09835-4.
  4. 1 2 King, Gary; Keohane, Robert O.; Verba, Sidney (1994). Designing Social Inquiry. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. 52–53. doi:10.1515/9781400821211. ISBN   978-1-4008-2121-1.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Gerring, John (2007). Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1, 19–20. ISBN   978-0-521-85928-8.
  6. 1 2 Thies, Cameron G. (2002). "A Pragmatic Guide to Qualitative Historical Analysis in the Study of International Relations". International Studies Perspectives. 3 (4): 351–372. doi:10.1111/1528-3577.t01-1-00099. ISSN   1528-3577. JSTOR   44218229.
  7. 1 2 George, Alexander L.; Bennett, Andrew (2005). Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences. MIT Press. p. 18. ISBN   978-0-262-57222-4.
  8. Mills, Albert J.; Durepos, Gabrielle; Wiebe, Elden, eds. (2010). Encyclopedia of Case Study Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. p. xxxi. ISBN   978-1-4129-5670-3.
  9. 1 2 Yin, Robert K. (2017). Case Study Research: Design and Methods (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, California, US: SAGE Publications. ISBN   978-1-5063-3616-9.
  10. Rolls, Geoffrey (2005). Classic Case Studies in Psychology. Abingdon, England: Hodder Education.
  11. Taylor, Marilyn L.; Søndergaard, Mikael (2017). Unraveling the Mysteries of Case Study Research: A Guide for Business and Management Students. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN   978-1786437235.
  12. Gerring, John (2007). Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. Cambridge University Press. p. 17. ISBN   978-0-521-85928-8.
  13. 1 2 3 Gerring, John (2007). Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. Cambridge University Press. pp. 29–32. ISBN   978-0-521-85928-8.
  14. Gerring, John (2007). Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. Cambridge University Press. p. 37. ISBN   978-0-521-85928-8.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Gerring, John (2017). "Qualitative Methods". Annual Review of Political Science. 20 (1): 15–36. doi: 10.1146/annurev-polisci-092415-024158 . ISSN   1094-2939.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Ridder, Hans-Gerd (October 2017). "The theory contribution of case study research designs". Business Research. 10 (2): 281–305. doi: 10.1007/s40685-017-0045-z . hdl: 10419/177270 . ISSN   2198-2627.
  17. Eisenhardt, Kathleen M. (1991). "Better Stories and Better Constructs: The Case for Rigor and Comparative Logic". The Academy of Management Review. 16 (3): 620–627. doi:10.5465/amr.1991.4279496. JSTOR   258921.
  18. Stake, Robert E. (1995). The Art of Case Study Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. pp. 99–102. ISBN   978-0-8039-5767-1.
  19. Burawoy, Michael (2009). The Extended Case Method: Four Countries, Four Decades, Four Great Transformations, and One Theoretical Tradition. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-94338-4.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 Seawright, Jason; Gerring, John (2014), "Case Selection Techniques in Case Study Research: A Menu of Qualitative and Quantitative Options", Political Research Quarterly, doi:10.4135/9781473915480.n31, ISBN   978-1-4462-7448-4
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Levy, Jack (2014), "Case Studies: Types, Designs, and Logics of Inference", Case Studies, SAGE Publications Ltd, pp. II113, doi:10.4135/9781473915480.n26, ISBN   978-1-4462-7448-4
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 King, Gary/ Keohane, Robert O./ Verba, Sidney: Designing Social Inquiry. Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Princeton University Press, 1994.
  23. 1 2 Gerring, John (2007). Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. Cambridge University Press. p. 87. ISBN   978-0-521-85928-8. Random sampling is unreliable in small-N research
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 George, Alexander L.; Bennett, Andrew (2005). Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences. MIT Press. ISBN   978-0-262-30307-1. OCLC   944521872.
  25. 1 2 3 Seawright, Jason (2016), "Case Selection after Regression", Multi-Method Social Science: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Tools, Cambridge University Press, pp. 75–106, doi:10.1017/cbo9781316160831.004, ISBN   978-1-107-09771-1 , retrieved 2021-02-11
  26. Huang, Huayi (2015). Development of New Methods to Support Systemic Incident Analysis (PDF) (Doctoral dissertation). London: Queen Mary University.[ page needed ]
  27. Underwood, Peter; Waterson, Patrick; Braithwaite, Graham (2016). "'Accident investigation in the wild' – A small-scale, field-based evaluation of the STAMP method for accident analysis". Safety Science . 82: 129–43. doi:10.1016/j.ssci.2015.08.014.
  28. Fenno, Richard F. (2014). "Observation, Context, and Sequence in the Study of Politics". American Political Science Review. 80 (1): 3–15. doi:10.2307/1957081. JSTOR   1957081. S2CID   145630377.
  29. Thomas, Gary (2011). "A Typology for the Case Study in Social Science Following a Review of Definition, Discourse, and Structure". Qualitative Inquiry. 17 (6): 511–21. doi:10.1177/1077800411409884. S2CID   144895919.
  30. George, Alexander L.; Bennett, Andrew (2005). Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences. MIT Press. pp. 74–76, 213. ISBN   978-0-262-30307-1. OCLC   944521872.
  31. Rapport, Aaron (2015). "Hard Thinking about Hard and Easy Cases in Security Studies". Security Studies. 24 (3): 431–465. doi:10.1080/09636412.2015.1070615. ISSN   0963-6412. S2CID   131769695.
  32. 1 2 3 4 Goertz, Gary; Mahoney, James (2012-09-09). A Tale of Two Cultures. Princeton University Press. pp. 221–227. doi:10.23943/princeton/9780691149707.001.0001. ISBN   978-0-691-14970-7.
  33. 1 2 Brady, Henry E.; Collier, David (2010). Rethinking social inquiry : diverse tools, shared standards (2 ed.). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN   978-1-4422-0343-3. OCLC   838295613.
  34. 1 2 Geddes, Barbara (2003). Paradigms and Sand Castles: Theory Building and Research Design in Comparative Politics. University of Michigan Press. pp. 129–139. doi:10.3998/mpub.11910. ISBN   978-0-472-09835-4. JSTOR   10.3998/mpub.11910.
  35. 1 2 Gerring, John (2007). Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. Cambridge University Press. pp. 39–40. ISBN   978-0-521-85928-8.
  36. 1 2 3 Widner, Jennifer; Woolcock, Michael; Nieto, Daniel Ortega (2022), Ortega Nieto, Daniel; Widner, Jennifer; Woolcock, Michael (eds.), "Using Case Studies to Enhance the Quality of Explanation and Implementation: Integrating Scholarship and Development Practice", The Case for Case Studies: Methods and Applications in International Development, Cambridge University Press, pp. 1–26, ISBN   978-1-108-42727-2
  37. 1 2 3 Mahoney, James (2010). "After KKV: The New Methodology of Qualitative Research". World Politics. 62 (1): 120–147. doi:10.1017/S0043887109990220. ISSN   1086-3338. S2CID   43923978.
  38. 1 2 Collier, David (2011). "Understanding Process Tracing". PS: Political Science & Politics. 44 (4): 823–830. doi: 10.1017/s1049096511001429 . ISSN   1049-0965.
  39. 1 2 Gerring, John (2007). Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. Cambridge University Press. pp. 43, 49. ISBN   978-0-521-85928-8.
  40. Fearon, James D.; Laitin, David D. (2011). Goodin, Robert E (ed.). "Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methods". The Oxford Handbook of Political Science. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199604456.001.0001. ISBN   978-0-19-960445-6. Archived from the original on 2014-05-30.
  41. Bennett, Andrew; Elman, Colin (2006). "Qualitative Research: Recent Developments in Case Study Methods". Annual Review of Political Science. 9 (1): 455–476. doi: 10.1146/annurev.polisci.8.082103.104918 . ISSN   1094-2939.
  42. Braumoeller, Bear and Anne Sartori. 2004. "The Promise and Perils of Statistics in International Relations." in Cases, Numbers, Models: International Relations Research Methods. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press: ch. 6.
  43. Gerring, John (2007). Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. Cambridge University Press. p. 42. ISBN   978-0-521-85928-8.
  44. Waldner, David (2015-06-22). "Process Tracing and Qualitative Causal Inference". Security Studies. 24 (2): 239–250. doi:10.1080/09636412.2015.1036624. ISSN   0963-6412. S2CID   143163960.
  45. Gerring, John (2007). Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. Cambridge University Press. pp. 61–62. ISBN   978-0-521-85928-8.
  46. Farrell, Henry; Finnemore, Martha (2009). "Ontology, methodology, and causation in the American school of international political economy". Review of International Political Economy. 16 (1): 58–71. doi:10.1080/09692290802524075. ISSN   0969-2290. S2CID   145230528.
  47. Gerring, John (2007). Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. Cambridge University Press. pp. 54–55. ISBN   978-0-521-85928-8.
  48. Humphreys, Macartan; Jacobs, Alan M. (2015). "Mixing Methods: A Bayesian Approach". American Political Science Review. 109 (4): 654. doi:10.1017/s0003055415000453. ISSN   0003-0554. S2CID   1846974.
  49. Achen, Christopher H.; Snidal, Duncan (1989). "Rational Deterrence Theory and Comparative Case Studies". World Politics. 41 (2): 143–169. doi:10.2307/2010405. ISSN   0043-8871. JSTOR   2010405. S2CID   153591618.
  50. Bennett, Andrew (2008-08-21). Box-Steffensmeier, Janet M; Brady, Henry E; Collier, David (eds.). "Process Tracing: a Bayesian Perspective". The Oxford Handbook of Political Methodology. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199286546.001.0001. ISBN   9780199286546 . Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  51. Mahoney, James (2016-09-02). "Mechanisms, Bayesianism, and process tracing". New Political Economy. 21 (5): 493–499. doi:10.1080/13563467.2016.1201803. ISSN   1356-3467. S2CID   156167903.
  52. Bennett, Andrew (2008). Box-Steffensmeier, Janet M; Brady, Henry E; Collier, David (eds.). "Process Tracing: a Bayesian Perspective". The Oxford Handbook of Political Methodology. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199286546.001.0001. ISBN   9780199286546. Archived from the original on 2014-08-04.
  53. Fairfield, Tasha; Charman, Andrew E. (2022). Social Inquiry and Bayesian Inference. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-1-108-42164-5.
  54. King, Gary; Keohane, Robert O.; Verba, Sidney (1994). Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Princeton University Press. pp. 20–22. ISBN   978-1-4008-2121-1.
  55. Yom, Sean (2015). "From Methodology to Practice: Inductive Iteration in Comparative Research". Comparative Political Studies. 48 (5): 616–644. doi:10.1177/0010414014554685. ISSN   0010-4140. S2CID   143936902.
  56. Gerring, John (2007). Case Study Research: Principles and Practices. Cambridge University Press. pp. 44, 53–55. ISBN   978-0-521-85928-8.
  57. Kimball, Bruce A. (2009). The Inception of Modern Professional Education: C. C. Langdell, 1826–1906. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. pp.  143-444. ISBN   978-0-8078-3257-8. OCLC   261174163.
  58. Jackson, Giles (2011). "Rethinking the case method". Journal of Management Policy and Practice. 12 (5): 142–64.
  59. Garvin, David A. (2003). "Making the Case: Professional Education for the World of Practice". Harvard Magazine. 106 (1): 56–107.
  60. Ellet, W. (2007). The Case Study Handbook: How to Read, Write, and Discuss Persuasively about Cases . Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. ISBN   978-1-422-10158-2.[ page needed ]
  61. Palmer, Grier; Iordanou, Ioanna (2015-01-01). "Exploring Cases Using Emotion, Open Space and Creativity". In Courtney, Nigel; Poulsen, Christian; Stylios, Chrysostomos (eds.). Case Based Teaching and Learning for the 21st Century. Faringdon: Libri. pp. 19–38. ISBN   9781909818569 . Retrieved 2024-09-27.
  62. Herreid, Clyde F.; Schiller, Nancy A.; Wright, Carolyn; Herreid, Ky (eds.). "About Us". National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (NCCSTS). University at Buffalo. Archived from the original on 2018-09-13. Retrieved 2018-09-12.

Further reading