Abstract
M.A.
The focus of this dissertation was on the various dimensions of the case study as a research strategy/method in particular and criteria to improve the methodological credibility of case study dissertations in Public Management and Governance, in general. The research approach entailed the application of unobtrusive research techniques as research analysis instruments based on a qualitative research paradigm. The main research question addressed by this dissertation was to determine what the methodological requirements for trustworthy case study research are.
The dissertation focused on related contextual variables, knowledge of the determinants, theoretical approaches, concepts and trends that influence case study research. It provided the context and application of qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method research design as methodological underpinning for case study research as well as the methodological requirements for high-quality case study research to enhance the trustworthiness of case study research. The dissertation provided an integrated focus on the conceptual and contextual methodological requirements of case study research designs. Case studies differ from other research strategies, as this type of methodology could be seen as a method of analysis and a research design.
Despite the case study research method’s applicability in studying many relevant real-world situations and addressing important research questions in Public Management and Governance, it has not achieved widespread recognition as a method of choice. The reason for this lies in the many disputes pertaining to the case study as a research method due to a lack of consensus regarding the application of the research strategy and the methodological criteria when applying a case study strategy in theses and dissertations. It was found that the case study research method does not follow a particular research approach. Therefore, it can be based on either a positivist or an interpretivist approach, be deductive or inductive and depend on qualitative or quantitative methods. It could also follow a mixed-methods research approach.