This is the most comprehensive guide to the current uses and importance of case study methods in social research. The editors bring together key contributions from the field which reflect different interpretations of the purpose and capacity of case study research. The address issues such as: the problem of generalizing from study of a small number of cases; and the role of case study in developing and testing theories.

IntroductionPART ONE: INTRINSIC CASE STUDY AND GENERALIZABILITYThe Case Study Method in Social Inquiry - Robert E StakeThe Only Generalization Is - Yvonna S Lincoln and Egon G Guba There Is No GeneralizationGeneralizability and the Single Case Study - Robert DonmoyerIncreasing the Generalizability of Case Study Research - Janet Ward SchofieldCase Study and Generalization - Roger Gomm, Martyn Hammersley and Peter FosterPART TWO: CASE STUDY AND THEORYCase Study and Theory in Political Science - Harry EcksteinCase Study and Situational Analysis - J Clyde MitchellThe Logical Structure of Analytic Induction - W S RobinsonThe Quest for Universals in Sociological Research - Ralph H TurnerSmall N¿s and Big Conclusions - Stanley Lieberson An Examination of the Reasoning in Comparative Studies Based on a Small Number of CasesCases, Causes, Conjunctures, Stories, Imagery - Howard S BeckerCase Study and Theory - Martyn Hammersley, Roger Gomm and Peter Foster