Multiple-case Study Methods in Governance-related Research

Abstract Relative to their single-case counterparts, multiple-case studies add observations for study, without taking the research design into more quantitative terrain. However, questions remain about the exact nature of the value that multi-case studies add to governance research. The present article addresses this gap by reviewing a sample of multiple-case study articles taken from leading public management journals and describing and classifying the approaches employed by researchers. It is argued that the ability of multiple-case study projects to convince us of their conclusions rests, to a degree not previously acknowledged, on the reliability of these studies.