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.

The editors offer in-depth assessments of the main arguments. An annotated bibliography of the literature dealing with case study research makes this an exhaustive and indispensable guide.

Introduction
PART ONE: INTRINSIC CASE STUDY AND GENERALIZABILITY
The Case Study Method in Social Inquiry - Robert E Stake
The Only Generalization Is - Yvonna S Lincoln and Egon G Guba
There Is No Generalization
Generalizability and the Single Case Study - Robert Donmoyer
Increasing the Generalizability of Case Study Research - Janet Ward Schofield
Case Study and Generalization - Roger Gomm, Martyn Hammersley and Peter Foster
PART TWO: CASE STUDY AND THEORY
Case Study and Theory in Political Science - Harry Eckstein
Case Study and Situational Analysis - J Clyde Mitchell
The Logical Structure of Analytic Induction - W S Robinson
The Quest for Universals in Sociological Research - Ralph H Turner
Small Ns and Big Conclusions - Stanley Lieberson
An Examination of the Reasoning in Comparative Studies Based on a Small Number of Cases
Cases, Causes, Conjunctures, Stories, Imagery - Howard S Becker
Case Study and Theory - Martyn Hammersley, Roger Gomm and Peter Foster