Casing Case Studies – The (Re-)Construction of Cases and their Boundaries

• In Event: Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 1: Qualitative Methods

Abstract

While case studies are a common approach in the field of social sciences for investigating empirically observable phenomena, the process of defining and bounding the cases often remains hidden from readers. This paper employs an autoethnographic perspective to explore the iterative nature of case conceptions and boundaries throughout a comparative case study process. Thereby, I will reflect on our qualitative case study research process for a mixed methods research project investigating paths of knowledge transfer in biomedical research at universities and non-university research institutions in Germany that lead to new drugs and therapies. Through a detailed examination of the case study research process, I will address the question(s) of how and why case conceptions and boundaries evolve over time. In order to describe the time- and process-sensitive construction and bounding of cases, the concept of "casing" (Ragin 1992; Wagenknecht and Pflüger 2018) is introduced and adopted.
Preliminary findings suggest that case descriptions shift across different research phases, influenced by social, temporal, and factual boundaries. Social boundaries are shaped by the individuals involved in the research process. Temporal boundaries relate to matters of access to the field of research as well as the start and ending points for the reconstruction of the examined research process. Factual boundaries are determined by decisions made by the team within the constraints of third-party funding and available resources. This study employs a processual perspective of casing to deepen the understanding of the iterative nature of case construction by highlighting how both field conditions and the composition of research team can change the delineation and boundaries of the case over time. The full paper will provide a comprehensive depiction of the complexities encountered in defining and bounding cases and discuss the methodological challenges that arise from this ongoing process.

Author

• Lisa Walther, University of Hannover