Conclusion: Guided by Theory, Moving Forward Step by Step

Abstract

This book started with two main assertions. First, a case study crucially though not exclusively depends on the research goal, the level of analysis, the nature of the causal effect, and the mode of causal inference in hypothesis-testing case studies. The chapters that followed confirmed this assertion and demonstrated that it is important to grasp the interplay of the dimensions in various parts of the research process. The second major argument was that case studies can be used for the building, testing, and modification of hypotheses on both the cross-case and the within-case level. The remainder of the chapter gives a broader evaluation of the degree to which case studies are suitable for the generation of causal inferences on regularities.