Case Study Research: Principles And Practices

P1: JZP 052185928Xpre CUNY472B/Gerring 0 521 85928 X Printer: cupusbw This page intentionally left blank ii October 5, 2006 8:26 P1: JZP 052185928Xpre CUNY472B/Gerring 0 521 85928 X Printer: cupusbw October 5, 2006 Case Study Research Principles and Practices Case Study Research: Principles and Practices aims to provide a general 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 definition 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 – experimental, observational, qualitative, quantitative, ethnographic – may be successfully integrated into case study research. This book breaks down traditional boundaries between qualitative and quantitative, experimental 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 Framework (2001). i 8:26 P1: JZP 052185928Xpre CUNY472B/Gerring 0 521 85928 X ii Printer: cupusbw October 5, 2006 8:26 P1: JZP 052185928Xpre CUNY472B/Gerring 0 521 85928 X Case Study Research Principles and Practices JOHN GERRING Boston University iii Printer: cupusbw October 5, 2006 8:26 CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521859288 © John Gerring 2007 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format 2006 ISBN-13 ISBN-10 978-0-511-26876-2 eBook (EBL) 0-511-26876-9 eBook (EBL) ISBN-13 ISBN-10 978-0-521-85928-8 hardback 0-521-85928-X hardback ISBN-13 ISBN-10 978-0-521-67656-4 paperback 0-521-67656-8 paperback Cambridge University