Yin, Robert K.: Case Study Research.

Design and Methods

Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, 4th ed. 2009, pp. 240
„Congratulations! You are reading the best edition of Case Study Research to date. This
fourth edition contains more material, is more readable, and has more practical value
than previous editions” (Yin, 2009, p. IX). Stimulating the reader in this manner, Yin
continues in his preface that he has improved the book not only with regard to the
breadth of the case study method but to the detailed level as well. He has included
several role models of case studies and pays greater attention to critical topics when
applying case studies, while expanding the technical topics. Interestingly, Sage Publica-
tions invited seven academics who delivered courses using the third edition to com-
ment the text. Yin integrated these comments into the 4th edition as well. Thus, expec-
tations with about the 4th revised edition are high and a review of the book seems to
be appropriate at this time.
The book consists of six chapters. Chapter 1 concerns the question of when to use
a case study method. In essence, Yin views the goal of case studies as understanding
complex social phenomena, and real–life events such as organizational and managerial
processes. He puts it– in a nutshell– as follows:
“1. A case study is an empirical inquiry
x that investigates a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within its real-life context,
especially when
x the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident” (18).
The components of the research design are provided in chapter 2. After discussing the art
of developing research questions in case study research, Yin makes a strong plea for
using propositions. This is often confused with grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss,
1967) or with case study design by Eisenhardt (1989) and Eisenhardt and Graebner
(2007) and it is often surprising that authors quote these three sources together with
Miles and Huberman (1994) in order to legitimate the qualitative design of their study.
The design of case studies in Yin’s book relates data to propositions, e.g. by pattern
matching. This stems from the fact that Yin views the purpose of case study research,
amongst others, as theory development. As such, theoretical propositions are a starting
point (and not the result) of case study analysis. Therefore, case studies aim at analyti-
cal generalization as if they were an experiment. Hence, construct, internal and exter-
nal validity, and reliability are the prerequisites (evaluative standards) for conducting
case study research. Yin carefully distinguishes between single and multiple case stu-
dies. Comparing a single case study with an experiment, Yin maintains that single case
studies are relevant for critical cases in order test theory, or to analyze cases that may
be extreme, typical, revelatory or longitudinal. Multiple case design has it advantage in
constructing a framework in which either literal replication predicts similar results
across multiple cases or it aims at theoretical replication whereby different results are
likely for theoretical reasons.
While chapter 2 is challenging in understanding the art and purpose of case study
research, chapter 3 deals more technically with the preparation of the case study research. A
great deal is written on the skills of the case study researcher, preparation and training,
organizing a case study protocol, and the pilot case study. The didactical style some-
Zeitschrift für Personalforschung, 26(1), 93-101
ISSN (print) 0179-6437, ISSN (internet) 1862-0000, © Rainer Hampp Verlag, www.Hampp-Verlag.de
94 Rezensionen

times invites the reader to flip through the pages, but it is a helpful tool kit on how to
proceed in conducting a case study. There is a similar effect in chapter 4 where the
procedures of data collection are outlined in all the necessary details with pertaining to
documentation, archival records, and interviews – especially in-depth interviews with
key informants and focused interviews – direct observation, participant observation
and physical artifacts. In order to mitigate the bias against case study research, Yin
carefully puts his emphasis on data triangulation, precise documentation of the data
base and maintaining the chain of evidence which provides validity in reconstructing
the study from the research question to the conclusions. All of these steps are more or
less technical pieces of advice but very informative and supported by several diagrams,
illustrative boxes with examples, and exercises.
Chapter 5 is my favorite chapter of the book. In combination with chapter 2 the
reader gains a striking sense of the potential and richness of case studies in the art
of data analysis. In a coherent manner, the preparation of the data analysis and four
general strategies are provided. Yin quotes Miles and Huberman (1994) as a source for
organizing the data and indeed Yin does not make a great deal of effort of investing
into the precision of focusing and bounding the data. So far, Miles and Huberman
remain the ultimate source for such detailed matrices, displays and maps for the prep-
aration of data analysis and it is astonishing that this book from 1994 has not pro-
voked an adequate successor. Yin places his emphasis more on analytic techniques; in
particular he focuses on the pattern matching technique. Here the chain of evidence
results in the comparison of predicted (theoretical) patterns with observed (empirical)
patterns. Using instructive examples, Yin demonstrates how to conduct literal and
theoretical replications for the purpose of gaining insights into complex phenomena in
order to develop theory. The second technique is explanation building whereby the
theoretical pattern is modified by several iterations. Here the case study aims to reflect
theoretically significant propositions against the data. Initial theoretical statements or
an initial proposition are confronted with the findings. In turn, revisions are reflected
against the findings of a third, fourth or more cases. The third technique is the time-
series-analysis in which a predicted time-series is compared with an observed trend in
an investigation. Another possible analysis stems from comparisons of time-series re-
garding different types of activities. Logic models – as a fourth technique – consist of
a chain of observed events with predicted outcomes. Specifically, once a dependent
variable has occurred as predicted, the dependent variable becomes an independent
variable with a new predicted outcome. Finally, in cross-case syntheses, independently
conducted case studies are compared for further analysis. All of these techniques are
outlined in detail and Yin provides additional techniques to overcome potential ob-
stacles to validity and explanation of the findings (cross-checking with the research
question, focusing on significant aspects, and rival explanations).
With regard to chapter 6 on Reporting case studies, Yin mentions in his preface that
reviewers of the third edition suggested reducing the material in this chapter. I agree!
As in chapter 3 a lot of effort is on didactical “how to” topics in writing a case study
report.
To summarize, after working through the fourth edition I did not have the im-
pression that Yin exaggerates the quality of the upgrade of his book. The content is
Zeitschrift für Personalforschung, 26(1), 93-101 95

comprehensive and dense, and the plethora of boxes, diagrams, exercises, and exam-
ples are very helpful in order to transfer the content to students. Tremendous efforts
have been made to uphold the book’s readability and understandability. Yin has
strengthened most of the chapters and as a result the book has become more complex
and detailed in the techniques of case study research. This makes the book workable
for case study researchers, especially for beginners. New issues are integrated ade-
quately, e.g. using quantitative data in qualitative research or the possibilities of com-
puter aided data analysis. Therefore, the book remains a classic.
Some observations gained from using this edition in qualitative methods courses
may be of interest. As a disclaimer, this is not a critique but more of a wish list for the
fifth edition. First of all, the ontological and epistemological position guiding the book
should be outlined more precisely. In particular, the difference to grounded theory is
hard to explain without this foundation. Second, in my experience students are not
always prepared to and have difficulties in developing propositions. Whetten (2009),
for example, is a role model of how to combine the scientific sense and technical pro-
cedure in the development of propositions. Yin’s book could have some more exam-
ples or exercises regarding this topic. Third, as mentioned above the book would ben-
efit from further techniques of the preparation of data for the data analysis, and finally
the relevance of mixed methods for case study analysis should be upgraded as well.
Starting in 1984 it took 10 years to publish a second edition (1994), 9 years to
publish a third edition (2003) and six years for the 4th edition (2009). Reflective of its
continued success as a seminal work on case study research, I predict that the length
of time between editions will be shorter.
References
Eisenhardt, K.M.(1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4),
532-550.
Eisenhardt, K.M., & Graebner, M.E. (2007). Theory building from cases: Opportunities and challenges.
Academy of Management Journal, 50(1), 25-32.
Glaser, B.G., & Strauss, A.L. (1967): The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago.
Miles, M.B., & Huberman, M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. 2. ed. London.
Whetten, D.A. (2009). Modelling theoretical propositions. In A.S. Huff (Author). Designing research for pub-
lication (pp. 217-250). Los Angeles et al.
Yin, R.K. (2009). Case study research. Design and methods. 4. ed. Thousand Oaks, California.
Hannover, Januar 2012 Hans-Gerd Ridder*

Meardi, Guglielmo: Social Failures of EU Enlargement.

A Case of Workers Voting with Their Feet
Research in Employment Relations, 25,
Routledge, New York-London 2012, 229 pp.
The eastward enlargement of the EU in the 2000s, called either expansion or acces-
sion, has lead to a significant number of rather specific publications on more or less
isolated issues. As in the case of old member states, research has been highly specia-

* Prof. Dr. Hans-Gerd Ridder, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Personal und Ar-
beit, Königsworther Platz 1, D – 30167 Hannover. E-Mail: [email protected].
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