REPORT: (500-1000 words)
Evaluate methodology of Evans 1995
Instructions:
Evaluate in writing the case selection in Evans 1995.
Evans, Peter, 1995: Embedded autonomy: The politics of industrial transformation. Princeton University Press.
Review in writing the quality of case study methodology in Peter Evan’s “Embedded Autonomy” (1995) using the criteria discussed in the handbook and class. You do not have to read the book first page to last; selecting what to read in detail and what to skim is a key skill here.
There is no default format for the review but it might be useful to briefly summarize the methodology and make your criteria explicit at the outset, followed by a discussions of the strengths and weaknesses of Evan’s implementation of case study methodology and concluding with your summary judgment.
CRITERIA OF THE HANDBOOK AND CLASS:
Apply the insights that were gained in last week’s class on a given methodological issue (case selection, ethics, interviews, etc) to a selected reading that employs this methodology (Evans).
Core readings were:
Almond, Gabriel A and Genco, Stephen J, 1977: Clouds, clocks, and the study of politics. World Politics 29(4), 489-522.
Geertz, Clifford, 1977: Thick description: Toward an interpretive theory of culture. In: The interpretation of cultures. New York: Perseus, 3-30.
Trainor, Audrey A and Graue, Elizabeth (eds), 2013: Reviewing qualitative research in the social sciences. Routledge (chapter 1).
Trainor, Audrey A and Graue, Elizabeth (eds), 2013: Reviewing qualitative research in the social sciences. Routledge. (chapter 5)
Take into consideration that we have studied the basic process from planning through data gathering, analysis and writing based on qualitative material – and discussed why this is often much more of a messy and cyclical back-and-forth than textbooks tend to suggest. Readings for that were:
Becker, Howard, 1998: Tricks of the trade. Chicago University Press. (chapters 1-2; not essential if you cannot get hold of it)
Law, John, 2003: Making a mess with method. On-Line Papers Series, Centre for Science Studies, Lancaster University.
We have also studied one of the most fundamental design decisions for many qualitative studies – and one that is most frequently ill conceived: the selection, contrasting and comparison of cases. When is it better to study a phenomenon in one single case study, when are several cases of advantage – and which are good ones? Readings for that were:
Hammersley, Martyn and Atkinson, Paul, 2007: Ethnography. Routledge. (chapter 2)
Small, Mario Luis, 2009: ‘How many cases do I need?’ On science and the logic of case selection in field-based research. Ethnography 10(1)
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