Customer Reviews

Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences (Belfer Center Studies in International Security)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I learned a great deal from the authors' explicit comparison of their views with those of King, Keohane, and Verba (KKV). Indeed, to a great extent, this book reads like an extended dialogue with KKV. The authors follow the strategy of trying to show that KKV was actually not a unified statement, but rather that Keohane's actual view departs, in significant respects, from what the trio said in their book.

One of the strengths of this book is the excellent discussion of the philosophy of the social sciences and how case studies fit into the quest for knowledge about social phenomena. I found it balanced and informative.

One shortcoming of the book's discussion of "process tracing," which I think is an innovative way of thinking about dynamic analysis, is that the authors seem unaware of event history analysis. Much of their discussion reads as if they still think of social science research as a successive series of cross-sections on the one hand, or detailed narrative presentations of processes on the other. One of the great advantages of event history analysis, which is now widespread in sociology, is that it gives an investigator the ability to do micro level analyses of the timing, pacing, and rhythm of change which would simply not be possible if we were confined to verbal descriptions.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants an alternative to the KKV view of the world and who is also interested in an introduction to how political scientists do case analysis.

This book provides many wonderful insights into how to conduct case studies that can withstand methodoligical criticism from the quantoids. I have used many other texts to build case study strategies, but this one by far was the best. Concpets are made very clear and accessible, which allows for clear application of these ideas.

I'm a doctoral candidate and was "stuck" trying to figure out how to treat several historical case studies in my dissertation. This book got me going again as it clearly explains case study methodology. Although written from a political science perspective, it's not overly "poly-sci-ish" and is, mercifully, free of jargon. It would be useful for students working in history or sociology, and especially those pursuing an interdisciplinary approach, as well as political science students. I highly recommend this resource.

The book is a slow read but helps trigger ideas as you go along. Needed it for my project course. Let's see how it goes :)

Livro permite compreender a metodologia "estudo de caso" para além da mera antinomia "quantitativa" versus "qualitativa".

Chaper 2 was somewhat helpful but nothing new. Maybe I need to read it again.