Case-based methods have a long history in the social sciences. They are extensively used and raise many practical and theoretical questions. This book provides a comprehensive, critical examination of case-oriented research. It offers concrete proposals about the best research methods and provides an unparalleled guide to the emergence and complexity of the field.
Offers a critique of the standard approach to social research - namely, assessing the relative importance of causal variables drawn from competing theories. This book proposes the use of set-theoretic methods to find a middle path between quantitative and qualitative research.
Proposes a synthetic strategy, based on an application of Boolean algebra, that combines the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative sociology.
Constructing Social Research: The Unity and Diversity of Method, Second Edition is a concise, innovative text designed for Research Methods courses in the Social Sciences. The main goal of this Sociology for a New Century Series text is to show unity within the diversity of activities called social research. The first part of the book tackles questions like "What is social research?" "How does it differ from journalism, documentary film-making, or laboratory research in the natural sciences?" and "What is the researchers obligation to those he or she is studying?" The book also covers the how the various goals of social researchers shape the strategies they use and the representations of social life they construct. The latter part of the book is structured around the typical emphases of each tradition: qualitative research on commonalities, comparative research on diversity, and quantitative research on relationships among variables. These are not rigid divisions and research designs often blend aspects of each tradition in creative ways. Regardless of the approach, the process of representing social life through research involves a dialogue of ideas ("theory") and evidence ("data"). The model of social research put forth by Ragin and Amoroso is not as restrictive as the scientific method and encompasses social research ranging from research examining the complexities of everyday life to research investigating the power of transnational processes.
For over 25 years, Charles C. Ragin has developed Qualitative Comparative Analysis and related set-analytic techniques as a means of bridging qualitative and quantitative methods of research. Now, with Peer C. Fiss, Ragin uses these impressive new tools to unravel the varied conditions affecting life chances. For over twenty-five years, Charles C. Ragin has developed Qualitative Comparative Analysis and related set-analytic techniques as a means of bridging qualitative and quantitative methods of research. Now, with Peer C. Fiss, Ragin uses these impressive new tools to unravel the varied conditions affecting life chances. Ragin and Fiss begin by taking up the controversy regarding the relative importance of test scores versus socioeconomic background on life chances, a debate that has raged since the 1994 publication of Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray's TheBell Curve. In contrast to prior work, Ragin and Fiss bring an intersectional approach to the evidence, analyzing the different ways that advantages and disadvantages combine in their impact on life chances. Moving beyond controversy and fixed policy positions, the authors propose sophisticated new methods of analysis to underscore the importance of attending to configurations of race, gender, family background, educational achievement, and related conditions when addressing social inequality in America today
"Analytic Induction (AI) focuses on a select set of cases displaying the same outcome and seeks to identify antecedent conditions shared by such cases. Shared antecedent conditions, in turn, may be interpreted as "causal recipes" for the outcome, especially when they make sense as jointly contributing conditions. As a method of social research, AI differs fundamentally from conventional, variation-based approaches. AI's outcome is a constant; the set of cases selected for analysis all display the same outcome. Conventional variable-oriented research, by contrast, is centered on the task of accounting for variation in a dependent variable. The approach introduced in this book offers an array of set-analytic tools for answering research questions regarding qualitative outcomes and provides a new template for cross-case analysis"--