Case Study Research

Elstub, S; Pomatto, G

doi:10.1093/oso/9780192848925.003.0028

Case Study Research

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Stephen Elstub ORCiD

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Abstract

Case study research is widely used in the field of deliberative democracy due to the depth of insight and attention to context that this method provides. This chapter explains why case study research has been integral to deliberative democracy’s development from a normative theory to an established and mature theory guided by significant empirical evidence. This chapter also suggests that as deliberative democracy research moves towards a systemic approach, case studies will continue to be essential for understanding the practice of deliberative democracy across the huge variety of contexts a system involves. Case studies are a research approach that is relevant to both positivist and interpretivist research traditions, but, as this chapter also demonstrates, this distinction is one that deliberative democracy can transcend. This chapter provides guidance on selecting a suitable case as well as collecting and analysing data, specifically in relation to the field of deliberative democracy.