Identify and Write a Critique of two Case Studies Focused on a particular public policy research

PART1: DUE 9/22

Discussion Thread: The Case Study and Case Selection– 500 WORDS

Describe, in detail, the steps a researcher must follow to design a case study.  How can a researcher maximize analytical leverage from a case study?  Discuss the common challenges facing a case study researcher, and common pitfalls in case selection.  Conclude by providing an example of two or more “Least-Similar” cases, and an example of two or more “Most-Similar” cases.  Be certain to explain why these pairings follow Mills methods.

PART2: Case StudyAssignment Instructions-9/25

Overview

This assignment provides you an opportunity to apply what you’ve learned in this course about research design to a real piece of peer-reviewed research. You can think of this assignment as an examination of your knowledge in research design.  In order to complete this assignment, you must first identify two different prominent, peer-reviewed case studies conducted on the same or a very similar research question/dependent variable.  The substance of your case study analysis should be comparative in nature.  That is, you should constantly be describing the first piece of research in terms of how well it performs on different research design markers relative to the second piece of research.  The focus should be on assessing the “fit” between research design choices and the research question objective(s).  See below for specific instructions. in

Instructions

You will be required to identify and write a critique of two case studies focused on a particular public policy research question/dependent variable. The case study critique must be at least7 pages in length.  You should briefly introduce and discuss the research question/dependent variable under examination in each case study.  The bulk of your paper should focus on examining major research design choices and explaining whether or not you believe the scholar(s) make the correct research design decision(s)… and why.  Spend time and space explaining the “why”, and ground your augments in course readings and content.

The format of your paper should be as follows:

·         Identify and briefly describe the scope of the research project.  Do this on page one.

·         Identify the research question.  Do this on page one.

·         In one sentence, describe the dependent variable.  Do this on page one.

·         Evaluate how well the scholar(s) define and operationalize their dependent variable(s) and how well they operationalize other major concepts in their study.  Is conceptualization carried out appropriately?  Why or why not?  Does author(s) appropriately identify the observable implications used to ‘connect’ their concepts to their data? Offer suggestions for improvement.

·         Explain whether the case study is or is not an appropriate way to study the research question.

·         Describe how and why the author selected their cases.  Explain whether or not case selection was carried out appropriately.  What does the author do well or not do well to maximize analytical leverage?  Describe strengths and weaknesses in case selection.  Offer suggestions for improvement.

·         Briefly describe the research findings.  Does the author appropriately qualify their findings?  Or do they over-generalize?  Does the author make causal inferences?  Why or why not? Did the author make these decisions appropriately?  Explain why or why not.

·         Discuss any additional relevant research design choices and offer alternative solution(s) to design problems.  Support solutions with established literature on research design and methodology.Make sure suggestions for improvement are relevant and feasible.

·         Conclude with brief, comparative analysis on overall quality and appropriateness of each research design.  The focus should be on assessing the “fit” between research design choices and the research question objective(s).

·         All papers should use the following format:  Times New Roman, 12-point font, 1” margins from left to right and top to bottom, double spaced, number pages and include a title page.  Use Turabian formatting.

·         Submit your assignment as a Word document.