The (Un)Changing Landscapes of Case Study Research in Comparative Politics: Patterns, Sources, and Regional Concentrations, 1973-2001
Setenay Nil Dogan *
Department of Sociology, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study conducts a quantitative analysis of case studies in comparative political research through an examination of Comparative Political Studies. Drawing upon a comprehensive sample of 33 journal issues published between 1973 and 2001, the analysis encompasses 55 single-country studies, and aims to contribute to the empirical scholarship on comparative political research methodology, adding to the limited literature that grounds its analysis in empirical evidence regarding actual research practices. By delineating the sample into two distinct temporal periods, this research investigates evolving patterns in case study publication frequency, methodological approaches, and regional concentrations within these studies. While the findings demonstrate the substantial contribution of case studies to the journal, they simultaneously reveal a marked decline in their prevalence following 1989. The analysis further identifies a methodological transition from the predominant use of interviews and surveys to an increased reliance on archival documentation in the post-1989 period. These transformations are contextualized within the broader processes of globalization and post-Cold War conjuncture. Additionally, the study critically examines the geographical concentration of case studies, unevenly studying Western Europe and Latin America cases and systematically underrepresenting other areas. The persistence of this geographical bias beyond 1989 is situated within the structural dynamics of modern academic knowledge production.
Keywords: Case study, comparative politics, Comparative Political Studies, single-country research, methodology, comparative research