Case Study Research in Public Administration and Public Policy: Standards and Strategies

Abstract

Based on an exploratory survey of doctoral programs in public administration, commonly (though not universally) accepted standards and guidelines for case study research are synthesized and articulated. A methodological context and strategy for these guidelines is also presented, focusing on theoretic case selection rather than standardization of meta-analytic instruments alone. The call for theoretic case selection strategies and for standardization of meta-analytic instrumentation in public administration is consistent with the increased recognition of the importance of grounded theory in qualitative social science research.

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Notes on contributors

G. David Garson

G. David Garson is professor of public administration at North Carolina State University, where he specializes in research methodology, geographic information systems, and information technology. His most recent work is Writing Quantitative Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Marcel Dekker, 2001). He may be contacted by e-mail at [email protected].