Case Studies in Developing Countries 20.11.2013 Introduction The case study has been especially used in social science research, such as, human geography, psychology, anthropology and ecology. • Spatial unit as the case is more prominent in geography studies: Eg. Village, community What is a Case study Basically, a case study is an in depth study of a particular situation rather than a sweeping statistical survey. Normally case studies take a qualitative Style Because of this one who conduct case studies in developing countries should be familiar to culture of the people It is a challenging task Case study research is neither a quick nor a soft option. It requires considerable skill on the part of the researcher, who needs to be adept at identifying and analyzing data from a number of different sources Case Studies as a Strategy • It is a strategy used to narrow down a very broad field of research into one easily researchable topic. •The case study research design is adopted for testing whether scientific theories and models actually work in the real world. • It gives some indications and allow further elaboration and hypothesis creation on a subject • Case Study Types Yin (2003) identifies three types of case studies: • Exploratory the case study: is used to define questions and hypotheses – or to test out a research procedure – for a further piece of research, such as a large-scale survey. • Descriptive the case study: is used to describe a particular phenomenon within its context. It can be used to expand on a particular theme unearthed by a survey. • Explanatory the case study: explores cause-effect relationships, and/or how events happen. Case Study as a Method • Secondary data (documents, photographs, official records) • Observation (variants from fully participant to semi participant) • Interviews (informal, semi-structured) Triangulation is a must Triangulation Observations Valid Data Case Study Rational Ø Extreme case Ø Model case Ø Representative case Ø Longitudinal case View larger image of Sri Lanka Map with Administrative Borders Monaragala district- Poorest district in Sri Lanka Extreme Case Model Case for Good Community Project Grameen Bank in Bangladesh http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4709948248753771&w=152&h=148&c=7&rs=1&pid=1.7 http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4764391242990037&w=207&h=148&c=7&rs=1&pid=1.7 Case Study Research Design ØThe first foundation of the case study is the subject and relevance. In a case study, you are deliberately trying to isolate a small study group, one individual case or one particular population. Ø ØStart with the research questions Ø ØDefine spatial or temporal boundaries of the case ( individual, a country, economy, community, an industry, policy, social group or organization) Advantages of Case Study Method 1. Case studies are "real" – they offer a chance to get a snapshot of real life: a rich and thick picture. As such, they are most appropriate for dealing with a subject that is context dependent, complex, unusual, or where there is some ambiguity. 2. In direct contrast to positivist approaches, which seek to generalize, the case study offers particularity: i.e. the opportunity for a holistic approach without the distraction of too many variables (Gummesson, 2007). 3. Single case study can incorporate surveys, interviews, direct observation, and archival research. This offers the possibility of several different layers of analysis which can reveal several different perspectives, with the added benefit of triangulation of the results. 4. It can also be a useful method when the unit of analysis, or the subject under consideration, is a collective entity such as an organization or a community. Advantages of Case Study Method Limitation of Case Studies A case study cannot be generalized to fit a whole population or ecosystem. It is considered as unique