Case Study Research in Political Science

Historical Meanings and Disciplinary Organization

In part, the meaning of case study in political science draws on earlier meanings in other fields. One such is psychology, where case studies have been used since the mid-1800s to capture details that provide insight into human behavior, as well as to develop clinical methods. Medical cases are used in similar ways. In social work, “casework,” developed in the 1920s, entails the detailed reporting of a client's history and needs as a way to support analysis for intervening through the helping process.

Another historical source is the Harvard Business School's development in the 1950s of “cases” as a method of instruction based on real-life contexts to encourage active learning, a usage developed further at the Maxwell and the Kennedy schools. These italicized features can be found in earlier political case studies, including Peter Blau's 1955 The Dynamics of Bureaucracy and Graham Allison's 1971 Essence of Decision, both of which serve as classic examples of case studies that demonstrate theorizing that is situated in real-life historical and contextual details of human action. How to access or generate such data details and how to establish and evaluate their scientific standing is the focus of debate over “case study method.”

To understand the role and meaning of case study within political science today, one needs to know something of its internal disciplinary organization; and this varies by both department and country. North American political science typically has four subfields: political theory, national government (e.g., American, Canadian), comparative politics, and international relations (including security studies). Public policy and public administration, to the extent that they are still part of political science departments, are either separate or treated as part of national government studies. In Europe, political science is commonly referred to as politics or government studies and is only occasionally divided into subfields, such as European politics, international relations, or European public administration. With the exception of political theory, all subfields draw on the case study as a method of analysis, but with different interpretations of what it means and how to do it.

Whereas textbooks describe “the case study” as the most common method of analysis in political science, these words are then used to refer to a range of meanings and usages that vary from specific methods to a research approach. Those advancing “case study” as a set of methods—the predominant meaning—engage the concept as a specific form of research involving multi-site studies aimed at establishing causal inferences and hypothesis testing. Those taking the second perspective typically treat “case study” as part of a broader methodology that emphasizes human meaning and reflexivity. These scholars more often engage in single-site research aimed at detailing the lived experiences of persons in that setting.

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