“Five misunderstandings about case-study research”

“Five misunderstandings about case-study research”  by Bent Flyvbjerg, 2004, pgs 420-434

-          Link to chapter  http://poli.haifa.ac.il/~levi/res/fivemisunder.pdf

Misunderstanding no. 1.

“General, theoretical (context-independent) knowledge is more valuable than concrete, practical (context-dependent knowledge)”   Pg 421

Responses to this misunderstanding

“First, the case study produces the type of context-dependent knowledge that research on learning shows to be necessary to allow people to develop from rule-based beginners to virtuoso experts.  Second, in the study of human affairs, there appears to exist only context-dependent knowledge, which thus presently rules out the possibility of epistemic theoretical construction” pg 421

“Context-dependent knowledge and experience are at the heart of expert activity.  Such knowledge and expertise also lie at the centre of the case study as a research and teaching method: or, to put it more generally still, as a method of learning” pg 421

“For researchers, the closeness of the case study to real-life situations and its multiple wealth of

details are important in two respects. First, it is important for the development of a nuanced view of reality, including the view that human behavior cannot be meaningfully understood as simply the rule-governed acts found at the lowest levels of the learning process, and in much theory. Second, cases are important for researchers’ own learning processes in developing the skills needed to do good research.” Pg 422

Revision to misunderstanding 1

“Predictive theories and universals cannot be found in the study of human affairs. Concrete, context-dependent knowledge is therefore more valuable than the vain search for predictive theories and universals. “ pg 423

~ Also see Paul Pierson's Politics in Time for a good discussion on the decontextualization revolution in polisci

Misunderstanding no. 2.

“One cannot generalize on the basis of an individual case; therefore, the case study cannot contribute to scientific development” pg 421

Responses to this misunderstanding

“The case study is well suited for identifying ‘black swans’ because of its in-depth approach: what appears to be ‘white’ often turns out on closer examination to be ‘black’” pg 424

Revision to misunderstanding no. 2.

“One can often generalize on the basis of a single case, and the case study may be central to scientific development via generalization as supplement or alternative to other methods.  But formal generalization is overvalued as a source of scientific development, whereas ‘the force of example’ is underestimated” pg 425

Misunderstanding no. 3.

“The case study is most useful for generating hypotheses, that is, in the first stage of a total research process, while other methods are more suitable for hypotheses testing and theory-building” pg 421

Responses to this misunderstanding

Strategies for the selection of samples and cases (pg 426)

Type of selection	Purpose
A. Random Selection	To avoid systematic biases in the sample.  The sample’s size is decisive for generalizing
1) Random Sample	To achieve a representative sample that allows for generalization for the entire population
2) Stratified Sample	To generalize for specially selected sub-groups within the population
B. Information-oriented selection	To maximize the utility of information from small samples and single cases.  Cases are selected on the basis of expectations about their information content
1 Extreme/deviant cases	To obtain information on unusual cases, which can be especially problematic or especially good in a more closely defined sense
2) Maximum variation cases	To obtain information about the significance of various circumstances for case process and outcome, e.g. three to four cases that are very different on one dimension: size, form of organization, location, budget, etc.
3) Critical Cases	To achieve information that permits logical deductions of the types, ‘if this (not) valid for this case, then it applies to all (no) cases’.
4)Paradigmatic Cases	To develop a metaphor or establish a school for the domain that the case concerns

                       

Correction

“The case study is useful for both generating and testing of hypotheses but is not limited to these research activities alone” (pg 425)

Misunderstanding no. 4.

“The case study contains a bias towards verification, that is, a tendency to confirm the researcher's preconceived notions”.

Responses to this misunderstanding

“experienced case researchers cannot help but see the critique as demonstrating a lack of knowledge of what is involved in case-study research” pg 428

“researchers who have conducted intensive, in-depth case studies typically report that their preconceived views, assumptions, concepts and hypotheses were wrong and that the case material has compelled them to revise their hypotheses on essential points” (pg 428)

Revision to misunderstanding no. 4.

“The case study contains no greater bias towards verification of the researcher's preconceived notions than other methods of inquiry. On the contrary, experience indicates that the case study contains a greater bias towards falsification of preconceived notions than towards verification” pg 429

Misunderstanding no.5.

“It is often difficult to summarize and develop general propositions and theories on the basis of specific case studies” pg 421

Responses to this misunderstanding

“summarizing case studies is not always useful and may sometimes be counterproductive.  Knowledge at the beginner’s level consists precisely in the reduced formulas that characterize theories, while true expertise is based on intimate experience with  thousands of individual cases and on the ability to discriminate between situations, with all their nuances of difference, without distilling them into formulas or standard cases”  pg 431

Revision to misunderstanding no. 5.

“It is correct that summarizing case studies is often difficult, especially as concerns case process. It is less correct as regards case outcomes. The problems in summarizing case studies, however, are due more often to the properties of the reality studied than to the case study as a research method. Often it is not desirable to summarize and generalize case studies. Good studies should be read as narratives in their entirety” pg 432