GS2321: Single Case Studies

Joakim Öjendal, Department of Peace and Development, Gothenburg University
031-7864675

Lecture Outline
1. What is a case study?
2. Research Design (Abstract/ Concrete)
3. Example of a case study
4. Pro's and Con's of cases studies
5. Controversial aspects of case studies

What is a case study?
- A case study is a study of a specific case.
● This is the most simplistic definition of a case study.

- What key words are associated with case studies?
● Explore: A case study is exploratory and not a matter of hypothesis testing.
● Event/ Activity/ Process: Case studies are not limited to a village or a country and often include analysis of an event, activity, etc.
● Bounded in Space and/or Scope: The boundaries of a case must be defined.
● Detail/ Depth Oriented: A case study is a "thick" empirical study.
● History/ Time/ Chronology: The case must be understood in its own right and include exploration of history.

- Case studies are a common approach in the social sciences.

- Case studies are typically within the qualitative tradition
● In other words, case studies are usually not large, statistical studies.

-Case studies are done on something, somewhere, and in some place.

- Case studies are descriptive.
● They are also analytical but the approach is principally descriptive or "thick".
● Never the less, conclusions are and can be drawn from a case study.

- Case studies do entail "trial and error" and "learn as you go" approaches.
● A researcher does not always know what he or she is looking for at the outset.
● Knowledge/ theory is often generated as a result of the study.
● The case study may lead to the development of better research questions rather than a conclusion.

- Case studies are inductive and not, necessarily, driven by a theoretical framework.
● The data generates theory rather than the theory generating data.

- The goal of a case study is in-depth understanding and they are often very focused.

- Case studies are a way of getting away from journalism because they are framed, focused, comprehensive, in depth, and beyond generalization.

-All methods are applicable to case studies but life histories, interviews, participant observation, etc. are typical methodological approaches in certain academic traditions.

- If done well, a case study can yield more than an outsider's perspective of the case.

Weaknesses
- You do not start with a hypothesis.

- Case studies are often messy and seemingly lacking in a red thread.

- It is difficult to produce a coherent narrative.

- Case studies are risky because the researcher may not come up with anything important.

- Representation is a major problem.
● It is important to ask: what does one case actually represent?
● A hypothesis is generated as a result of the study.
● Representation is strengthened through multiple case studies.
● As a result, a researcher must be careful of generalizing.

- It is difficult to determine the boundaries of the case or where it begins and ends.
● The boundaries of the case must be constantly questioned and justified.
● Anything and everything can and will be contested by the audience of the case study.
● However, anything goes as long as it is justified.

-When should a researcher select single/ multiple case studies as a key methodological approach?
● Single case studies are the dominate approach in qualitative research.
● Multiple case studies are a reasonable approach in qualitative research.
● Statistical analysis doesn't (usually) make sense in qualitative research.
● Single case studies don't (usually) make sense in quantitative research.
● Multiple case studies are a reasonable approach in quantitative research.
● Statistical analysis is the dominate approach in quantitative research.

Research Design Checklist
i) Passion is absolutely essential!
ii) The research problem is the key to everything and must be coherent with the research design.
iii) Case studies can be used to delimit/ focus the research problem.
iv) Operationalization
v) Theory: There must be a correlation between theory, the case study, and the research problem.
vi) Method: A case study is a part of a methodological design but is also governed by methods.
vii) Ethics become increasingly important in a case study and a researcher must ask, Who could I hurt/ abuse? Who could I anger? Will I traumatize people with my questions?
viii) Framework: What does it all mean?/ How does the case study feed into the larger analytical questions?
ix) Writing/ Voice: What can I say in my case study? What does my audience want to hear?

Example of a Case Study
- Joakim studied development in Cambodia in relation to food production and, more specifically, water management.

- He believes that there is a huge need for improved water management in rural Cambodia as well as a need to research effective water management systems.

- Research question: Can small scale water management improve water access?

- In selecting cases, Joakim tried to avoid extremes.
● He did this in an effort to make his conclusions more likely and generalizable.

- He ended up with three cases and spent 4-6 weeks studying each in turn.

- One thing he took away from the experience: There is always excess data that cannot be explored and does not fit into the analytical frame.

- Some of Joakim's personal conclusions:
● No study is ever ideal.
● Studies are limited by time, access, funding, etc.
● Often only weak comparisons can be made between cases which can be intentional and incorporated into the research design.
● Joakim was a little too analytical from the outset and was criticized by colleagues as a result.
● Overall, though, it was a successful study despite the fact that the findings could not be generalized.

- The bottom line: Be humble in your ignorance.