Case Study Method: Key Issues, Key Texts

This is the most comprehensive guide to the current uses and importance of case study methods in social research. The editors bring together key contributions from the field which reflect different interpretations of the purpose and capacity of case study research. The address issues such as: the problem of generalizing from study of a small number of cases; and the role of case study in developing and testing theories.



The editors offer in-depth assessments of the main arguments. An annotated bibliography of the literature dealing with case study research makes this an exhaustive and indispensable guide.



`This is a worthwhile book which will be useful to readers. It collects

together key sources on a topic which is a "hardy perennial", guaranteeing

its relevance for academics, researchers, and students on higher level

methods programmes. The editorial contributions are by well-known

authorities in the field, are carefully-constructed, and take a clear

position. I would certainly want this book on my shelf' - Nigel Fielding, University of Surrey

Introduction
PART ONE: INTRINSIC CASE STUDY AND GENERALIZABILITY
The Case Study Method in Social Inquiry - Robert E Stake
The Only Generalization Is - Yvonna S Lincoln and Egon G Guba
There Is No Generalization
Generalizability and the Single Case Study - Robert Donmoyer
Increasing the Generalizability of Case Study Research - Janet Ward Schofield
Case Study and Generalization - Roger Gomm, Martyn Hammersley and Peter Foster
PART TWO: CASE STUDY AND THEORY
Case Study and Theory in Political Science - Harry Eckstein
Case Study and Situational Analysis - J Clyde Mitchell
The Logical Structure of Analytic Induction - W S Robinson
The Quest for Universals in Sociological Research - Ralph H Turner
Small N's and Big Conclusions - Stanley Lieberson
An Examination of the Reasoning in Comparative Studies Based on a Small Number of Cases
Cases, Causes, Conjunctures, Stories, Imagery - Howard S Becker
Case Study and Theory - Martyn Hammersley, Roger Gomm and Peter Foster

". . .the book enlightens researchers concerning the contributions of case studies to research and could serve as an informative reader for doctoral students considering case study methods for their dissertations."