Gary Goertz is professor of political science and peace studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. His many books include A Tale of Two Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences and Social Science Concepts: A User's Guide (both Princeton) and The Puzzle of Peace: The Evolution of Peace in the International System.
An innovative and accessible textbook on multimethod and case-study research
Multimethod research has become indispensable to doing social science, and is essential to anyone who conducts large-scale research projects in political science, sociology, education, comparative law, or business. This authoritative and accessible book offers the first truly comprehensive approach to multimethod and case-study research, and is particularly aimed at students of qualitative methods in the social sciences.
Walking step-by-step through these cutting-edge tools and techniques, Gary Goertz introduces a new integrated approach that unites three corners of a powerful research triad-causal mechanisms, cross-case causal inference, and within-case causal inference. He explains how the investigation of causal mechanisms and the making of within-case causal inference are the central goals of multimethod and case study research, and provides a logic for connecting case studies and causal mechanism analysis with cross-case analysis, whether they are statistical analyses, experiments, or QCA. In addition, Goertz analyzes how one can generalize using case studies, as well as systematically test game-theoretic and other models using multiple case studies.
• Provides a fully integrated approach to multimethod and case-study research
• An essential resource for students and researchers in political science, sociology, education, law, and business
• Covers constraint causal mechanism, game theory and case studies, QCA, and the use of case studies to systematically test and generalize theories
• An ideal textbook for a first-year graduate course in methods or research design "Comprehensive and excellent. . . . Multimethod Research, Causal Mechanisms, and Case Studies reinforces the value of context, temporality and sequence for building cogent theoretical arguments. For this reason, the book is a must-read for methodologically engaged scholars."---Jennifer Cyr, European Political Science "By putting case studies and causal mechanisms at the heart of multimethod research, Gary Goertz's new book has made a profoundly important contribution. Here, finally, is a methodological work that shows why qualitative analysis often must be in the driver's seat when one is conducting integrative research."-James Mahoney, Northwestern University "The singular contributions of Goertz's book are its new ideas about multimethod, qualitative, and case-study research, its synthesis of a large literature on the topic, and-most important-the concrete guidance it provides for the perplexed. This is clearly a major work."-Stephan Haggard, School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California, San Diego "Goertz provides a clear, convincing, and fruitful framework for doing multimethod research-and his writing style is refreshingly accessible. This is a significant contribution."-Carsten Q. Schneider, Central European University
