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,Case Study Research
Principles and Practices
Case Study Research: Principles and Practices aims to provide a gen-
eral understanding of the case study method as well as specific tools for
its successful implementation. These tools can be utilized in all fields
where the case study method is prominent, including anthropology,
business, communications, economics, education, medicine, political
science, social work, and sociology. Topics covered include the defini-
tion of a case study, the strengths and weaknesses of this distinctive
method, strategies for choosing cases, an experimental template for
understanding research design, and the role of singular observations in
case study research. It is argued that a diversity of approaches – experi-
mental, observational, qualitative, quantitative, ethnographic – may be
successfully integrated into case study research. This book breaks down
traditional boundaries between qualitative and quantitative, experi-
mental and nonexperimental, positivist and interpretivist.
John Gerring is currently associate professor of political science at
Boston University. His books include Party Ideologies in America,
1828–1996 (1998) and Social Science Methodology: A Criterial Frame-
work (2001).
,
,Case Study Research
Principles and Practices
Case Study Research: Principles and Practices aims to provide a gen-
eral understanding of the case study method as well as specific tools for
its successful implementation. These tools can be utilized in all fields
where the case study method is prominent, including anthropology,
business, communications, economics, education, medicine, political
science, social work, and sociology. Topics covered include the defini-
tion of a case study, the strengths and weaknesses of this distinctive
method, strategies for choosing cases, an experimental template for
understanding research design, and the role of singular observations in
case study research. It is argued that a diversity of approaches – experi-
mental, observational, qualitative, quantitative, ethnographic – may be
successfully integrated into case study research. This book breaks down
traditional boundaries between qualitative and quantitative, experi-
mental and nonexperimental, positivist and interpretivist.
John Gerring is currently associate professor of political science at
Boston University. His books include Party Ideologies in America,
1828–1996 (1998) and Social Science Methodology: A Criterial Frame-
work (2001).
,
