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Case Study Research: Method and Practice

Course Dates and Times

Monday 2 ꟷ Friday 6 August 2021
2 hours of live teaching per day
10:00 ꟷ 12:00 or 14:00 - 16:00 CEST

Ingo Rohlfing

ingo.rohlfing@uni-passau.de

Institution: Universität Passau

This seminar-type course provides a highly interactive online teaching and learning environment, using state of the art online pedagogical tools. It is designed for a demanding audience (researchers, professional analysts, advanced students) and capped at a maximum of 12 participants so that the Instructor can cater to the specific needs of each individual.

By the end of this course...

You will have learned about all elements of comparative case studies and process tracing, and be able to implement a sound case study.

ECTS Credits

3 credits Engage fully with class activities
4 credits Complete a post-class assignment

Instructor Bio

Ingo Rohlfing is Professor of Methods of Empirical Social Research at the University of Passau

He researches social science methods with a focus on qualitative methods (case studies and process tracing), Qualitative Comparative Analysis and multimethod research.

Ingo is author of Case Studies and Causal Inference (Palgrave Macmillan) and he has published articles in Comparative Political Studies, Sociological Methods & Research and Political Analysis.

The course organisation follows the research process.
We will cover each of the following topics step by step.

Day 1

You will learn about the landscape of case study designs and identify the design that fits your research question. Starting with a brief discussion of concepts, we will also briefly discuss the role and importance of populations.

Day 2

You will learn about the menu of types of cases that you can choose for analysis (typical, most-likely, etc) and how to choose the case you need to achieve your research goal.

Day 3

We introduce different types of comparisons, how they relate to the types of cases and their choice, and what the benefits and limits of informed comparisons are.

Day 4

We introduce process tracing and learn how it can be used to study mechanisms. This includes a discussion of the pros and cons of different types of sources and their organisation in the research process.

Day 5

We arrange all elements in a broader picture and discuss the generalisation challenge in small-n research.

Our course will consist of multiple components.

First, pre-recorded sessions introduce you to the methodological principles of case study research. The recordings come with small quizzes and sets of questions for self-paced practice. Watch the videos before the course starts. Interactive live online sessions use Zoom, along with tools such as etherpads.

The live sessions will involve Q&A sessions on the recordings. The main part will be the application of general methodological principles to published case studies and your individual projects. Each live session will last about 180 minutes in total per day.

Prior training in research design and qualitative methods is recommended, but not required.

Day	Topic	Details
1	Introduction to essentials of the case study method	Lecture ~90 min Course goals Essentials and concepts central to the case study method (as discussed in this course) Dimensions of case study research Levels of analysis, causal effects and causal mechanism Lab ~60 min Dimensions in participants’ research
2	Causation and modes of causal inference	Lecture ~100 min Associations and causal inference Causal effects: correlation vs. set relations Basics of Bayesianism Lab ~60 min What are causal effects and causal mechanisms in participants’ research? How can participants infer causation in their study?
4	Types of cases and case selection	Discussion of assignment from day 3 ~45 min Lecture ~90 min Characteristics of types of cases (typical, deviant, most-likely etc.) Selection rules for different types of cases Lab ~45 min Reflection on general case selection strategies
3	Concepts and specification of population	Discussion of assignment from day 2 ~30 min Lecture ~100 min Scope conditions Positive concepts, negative concepts, and continua Lab ~60 min Identification of scope conditions and concepts in participants’ projects
5	Types of cases and case selection	Discussion of assignment from day 3 ~45 min Lecture ~90 min Characteristics of types of cases (typical, deviant, most-likely etc.) Selection rules for different types of cases Lab ~45 min Identification appropriate type of case and selection rule in participants’ projects
6	Within-case analysis: method and practice	Assignment / lab ~90 min, done in class Identifying observations in empirical research Lecture ~90 min Process tracing and collecting observations Tying evidence to concepts and inferences Pros and cons of different types of sources
7	Cross-case comparisons: advanced issues	Discussion of assignment from day 6 ~45 min Lecture ~120 min Units of analysis and time in comparisons Multi-case comparisons Binary and categorical measurement in comparisons Role of scope conditions
8	Within-case analysis: method and practice	Assignment/lab ~90 min, done in class Identifying observations in empirical research Lecture ~90 min Process tracing and collecting observations Tying evidence to concepts and inferences Pros and cons of different types of sources
9	From observations to inferences	Discussion of assignment from day 8 ~45 min Lecture ~140 min Unique and contradictory inferences
10	Generalisation, summary and Q&A	Lecture ~90 min Strategies of generalising causal inferences Summary of course Q&A ~90 min

Day	Readings
1	Rohlfing, Ingo (2012) *Case Studies and Causal Inference: An Integrative Framework* Chapter 1 Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Voluntary Gerring, John (2004) What Is a Case Study and What Is It Good For? American Political Science Review 98 (2): 341–354
2	Brady, Henry A. (2008) Causation and Explanation in Social Science in Box-Steffensmeier, Janet M., Henry Brady and David Collier (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Political Methodology pp217–226 Oxford: Oxford University Press Rohlfing, Ingo (2012) *Case Studies and Causal Inference: An Integrative Framework* Sections 2.3 and 2.4, and Chapter 8 (will be online) Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Voluntary (causation and causal inference) Machamer, Peter, Lindley Darden, and Carl F. Craver (2000) Thinking about mechanisms Philosophy of Science 67 (1): 1–25 Machamer, Peter (2004) Activities and Causation: The Metaphysics and Epistemology of Mechanisms International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 18 (1): 27–39 Gerring, John (2005) Causation: A Unified Framework for the Social Sciences Journal of Theoretical Politics 17 (2): 163–198 Hedström, Peter and Petri Ylikoski (2010) Causal Mechanisms in the Social Sciences Annual Review of Sociology 36 (1): 49–67 Lebow, Richard Ned (2010) *Forbidden Fruit: Counterfactuals and International Relations* Chapter 2 Princeton: Princeton University Press Goertz, Gary and James Mahoney (2012) *A Tale of Two Cultures: Contrasting Qualitative and Quantitative Paradigms* Chapter 2 Princeton: Princeton University Press Voluntary (Bayesianism) Bennett, Andrew (2010) Process Tracing and Causal Inference in Brady, Henry E. and David Collier (eds.) Rethinking Social Inquiry: Diverse Tools, Shared Standards pp207–219 Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Beach, Derek and Rasmus Brun Pedersen (2012) *Process Tracing Methods* Chapters 5 and 6 Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press Rohlfing, Ingo (forthcoming) Comparative hypothesis testing via process tracing Sociological Methods & Research Rohlfing, Ingo (2013) Bayesian causal inference in process tracing SSRN working paper
3	Goertz, Gary (2006) *Social Science Concepts: A User's Guide* pp27–53 Princeton: Princeton University Press Ragin, Charles C. (2000) Fuzzy-Set Social Science Chapter 2 Chicago: University of Chicago Press Voluntary Sartori, Giovanni (1970) Concept Misformation in Comparative Politics American Political Science Review 64 (4): 1033–1053 Walker, Henry A. and Bernard P. Cohen (1985) Scope Statements – Imperatives for Evaluating Theory American Sociological Review 50 (3): 288–301 Adcock, Robert and David Collier (2001) Measurement validity: A shared standard for qualitative and quantitative research American Political Science Review 95 (3):529–546
4	Rohlfing, Ingo (2012) Case Studies and Causal Inference: An Integrative Framework Chapter 3 (will be online) Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Voluntary (types of cases) Lijphart, Arend (1971) Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method American Political Science Review 65 (3): 682–693 Eckstein, Harry (1975) Case Study and Theory in Political Science In Greenstein, F.I. and N. W. Polsby (eds) *Strategies of Inquiry: Handbook of Political Science, Vol. 7, pp92–123 Reading: Addison-Wesley Skocpol, Theda (2003) Doubly Engaged Social Science* In Mahoney, James and Dietrich Rueschemeyer (eds) Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences pp407–428 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Voluntary (case selection) King, Gary, Robert O. Keohane and Sidney Verba (1994) Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research pp128–148 Princeton: Princeton University Press Collier, David and James Mahoney (1996) Insights and Pitfalls: Selection Bias in Qualitative Research World Politics 49 (1): 56–91 Seawright, Jason and John Gerring (2008) Case-Selection Techniques in Case Study Research: A Menu of Qualitative and Quantitative Options Political Research Quarterly 61 (2): 294–308
5	Same as day 4
6	Rohlfing, Ingo (2012) Case Studies and Causal Inference: An Integrative Framework Chapter 4 Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Voluntary Lijphart, Arend (1971) Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method American Political Science Review 65 (3): 682–693 Lieberson, Stanley (1991) Small Ns and Big Conclusions: An Examination of the Reasoning in Comparative Studies Based on a Small Number of Cases Social Forces 70 (2): 307–320 Savolainen, Jukka (1994) The Rationality of Drawing Big Conclusions Based on Small Samples: In Defense of Mill's Methods Social Forces 72 (4): 1217–1224 Lieberson, Stanley (1994) More on the Uneasy Case for Using Mill-Type Methods in Small-N Comparative Studies Social Forces 72 (4): 1225–1237 George, Alexander L. and Andrew Bennett (2005) *Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences* Chapter 8 Cambridge: MIT Press Mahoney, James (1999) Nominal, Ordinal, and Narrative Appraisal in Macrocausal Analysis American Journal of Sociology 104 (4): 1154–1196 Tarrow, Sidney (2010) The Strategy of Paired Comparison: Toward a Theory of Practice Comparative Political Studies 43 (2): 230–259 Slater, Dan and Daniel Ziblatt (2013) The Enduring Indispensability of the Controlled Comparison Comparative Political Studies 46 (10): 1301–1327
7	Rohlfing, Ingo (2012) *Case Studies and Causal Inference: An Integrative Framework* Chapter 5 Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Voluntary George, Alexander L. (1979) Case Studies and Theory Development: The Method of Structured, Focused Comparison In Lauren, Paul Gordon (ed) *Diplomacy: New Approaches in History, Theory, and Policy* pp43–68 New York: Free Press Mahoney, James (2000) Strategies of Causal Inference in Small-N Analysis Sociological Methods & Research 28 (4): 387–424 George, Alexander L. and Andrew Bennett (2005) *Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences* Chapter 9 Cambridge: MIT Press Gerring, John, and Rose McDermott (2007) An Experimental Template for Case Study Research American Journal of Political Science 51 (3): 688–701 Anckar, Carsten (2008) On the Applicability of the Most Similar Systems Design and the Most Different Systems Design in Comparative Research International Journal of Social Research Methodology 11 (5): 380–401
8	Bennett, Andrew and Jeffrey Checkel (2014) Process Tracing: From Methodological Roots to Best Practices In Bennett, Andrew and Jeffrey Checkel (ed.) Process Tracing in the Social Sciences: From Metaphor to Analytic Tool pp1–37 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Voluntary Collier, David, Henry Brady and Jason Seawright (2004) Sources of Leverage in Causal Inference: Toward an Alternative View of Methodology In: Brady, Henry and David Collier (eds) Rethinking Social Inquiry: Diverse Tools, Shared Standards pp250–264 Rowman & Littlefield: Lanham Checkel, Jeffrey T. (2008) Process Tracing In A. Klotz and D. Prakash (eds.) *Qualitative methods in international relations: a pluralist guide* pp114–127 Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Gerring, John (2008) The Mechanismic Worldview: Thinking Inside the Box British Journal of Political Science 38: 161–179 Hall, Peter A. (2008) Systematic Process Analysis: When and How to Use It European Political Science 7 (3): 304–317 Beach, Derek and Rasmus Brun Pedersen (2013) Process-Tracing Methods Chapter 1 Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press
9	Romney and Weller (1990) Metric Scaling: Correspondence Analysis Sage Publications Compulsory: pp17–26, pp55–70, pp85–90 Jörg Blasius, Victor Thiessen (2006) Assessing Data Quality and Construct Comparability in Cross-National Surveys European Sociological Review, 22 (3), July 2006 pp229–242 (recommended)
10	Rohlfing, Ingo (2012) Case Studies and Causal Inference: An Integrative Framework Chapter 9 Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Voluntary Rueschemeyer, Dietrich (2003) Can One or a Few Cases Yield Theoretical Gains? In Mahoney, James and Dietrich Rueschemeyer (eds) Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences pp305–332 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Ruzzene, Attilia (2012) Drawing Lessons from Case Studies by Enhancing Comparability Philosophy of the Social Sciences 42 (1): 99–120 Schatz, Edward and Elena Maltseva (2012) Assumed to be Universal: The Leap from Data to Knowledge in the American Political Science Review Polity 44 (3): 446–472

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