The case study anthology

294 Pages·2004·89.57 MB·English

by  Robert K. Yin

To Andrew-may the pen still be mightier than the mouse,
when you grow up
Editor
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Publisher
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Oaks • London • Delhi

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Copyright © 2004 by Sage Publications, In_c.
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Library of Congress Catalog~g-in-Publication Data
Yin, Robert K.
The case study anthology/Robert K. Yin.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7619-2925-8 (Cloth)
ISBN 0-7619-2926-6 (Paper)
1. Social sciences-Methodology. 2. Case method. 3. Social sciences
Research-Methodology-Case studies. L Title.
H6l.Y564 2004
00 1.4'32--dc22
2003026095
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
04 05 06 07 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 I
Acquisitions Editor: Lisa Cuevas Shaw
Editorial Assistant: Margo Crouppen
Produ.ction Editor: Denise Santoyo
Copy Editor: Annette Pagliaro
Typesetter: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd.
Indexer: Kathy Paparchontis
Cover Designer: Michelle Lee Kenny
Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
SECTION 1: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
AND CASE SELECTION
1. The Epidemic That Never Was: Policy-Making
and the Swine Flu Scare 3
Richard E. Neustadt and Harvey V. Fineberg
2. Essence of Decision: Explaining the
Cuban Missile Crisis 13
Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow
3. Middletown: A Study of Modern American Culture 25
Robert 5. Lynd and Helen Merrell Lynd
4. Yankee City: The Social Life of a Modern Community 33
W Lloyd Warner and Paul 5. Lunt
5. Implementation: How Great Expectations in
Washington Are Dashed in Oakland 47
jeffrey L. Pressman and Aaron Wildavsky
SECTION II: THE STRENGTH OF MULTIPLE CASES 55
6. Korea: Winning With Microwaves 57
Ira Magaziner and Mark Patinkin
7. The Rise of the Pentagon and U.S. State Building:
The Defense Program as Industrial Policy 69
Gregory Hooks
8. New Towns-in-Town: The;.Limits of Centralization 85
Martha Derthick
SECTION Ill: QUANTITATIVE EVIDENCE AND
"EMBEDDED" UNITS OF ANALYSIS 97
9. Implementing an Education Innovation 99
Neal Cross, joseph B. Ciacquinta, and
Marilyn Bernstein
10. Union Democracy: The Internal Politics of
the International Typographical Union 113
Seymour Martin Upset, Martin A. Trow,
and }ames S. Coleman
11. Testing the B.asic Logic of the Chicago
School Reform Act 125
Anthony S. Bryk, Penny Bender Bebring,
David Kerbow, Sharon Rollow, and John Q. Easton
SECTION IV: MORE ILLUSTRATIONS OF
CASE STUDY EVIDENCE 139
12. Winning at the Game: Intel and Silicon Valley Fever 141
Everett M. Rogers and judith K. Larsen
13. Civil Society and Crisis: Culture, Discourse,
and the Rodney King Beating 155
Ronald N. jacobs
14. Working: Growth of High-Technology Culture 179
Everett M. Rogers and judith K. Larsen
15. Head Start: The Inside Story of America's
Most Successful Educational Experiment 193
Edward Zigler and Susan Muenchow
SECTION V: ANALYSES AND CONCLUSIONS 203
16. The Organization of a Methadone Program 205
Dorothy Nelkin
17. Transformation in the New York City Police Department 219
George L Kelling and Catherine M. Coles
18. Communities Not Fazed: Why Military
Base Closures May Not Be Catastrophic 233
Ted K. Bradshaw
19. Lessons From Houston: Fighting to
Save Our Urban Schools 251
Donald R. McAdams
Index 263
About the Editor 271
Preface
A
"case study anthology" has always seemed to be an oxymoron. By
their nature, case studies are lengthy manuscripts. The good ones
are usually book-length already. Paring down such works risks losing the
essence of good case studies-which may very well be the depth of their
inquiry combined with the grandness of their scope. So, over the years I
had not given much thought to a case study anthology, though many years
ago I had seen the value of editing two readers, one in urban affairs and
the other on race, national origin, and culture.
Not surprisingly, I was initially hesitant when Deborah Laughton, who
had been my main editor at Sage on two earlier books on the case study
method, indicated the potential need for an anthology. I asked her to give
me some time to collect my thoughts and round up some possible read
ings, before agreeing to proceed. There had always been some favorite case
studies of mine. The main question was whether excerpts from them could
serve as fair representations. Another question was whether a rich enough
array of excerpts could be assembled, because I had noted that the most
useful anthologies usually have many selections, not just a few.
The double whammy for the proposed anthology, moreover, was that
it was to focus on methodology-not on a specific subject area, such as
education, community development, or management studies. My quick
additional checking suggested that methodological anthologies are
frequently adopted by libraries and reference collections, but not neces
sarily used in academic courses or research. Sq, on top of the problem of
fairly excerpting lengthy case studies, a methodological anthology risked
poor distribution and hence wasteful scholarship.
Well, the rest is history. I did eventually agree to proceed, and the pro
duct is before your eyes. In my opinion, the collection in this case study
anthology does cover a meaningful waterfront, from the perspective of
case study methods. The selected works also cover a broad variety of
(again, in my opinion) attractive topics. In addition, I found myself
pleased to include some older case studies (from two or more generations
ago), combating my intuition that contemporary social science students
and academicians tend to find th£ past increasingly irrelevant.
vi
viii THE CASE STUDY ANTHOLOGY
Methodology aside, the selected works are well worth reading--even if
they are outside your field of specialization. Whether the anthology draws
sufficient interest among scholars, and whether it helps to advance your
use of or appreciation for the case study method, only time will tell.