This module offers three research options – simulation exercises, statistical modeling, and case studies – but ultimately elects the last as the most feasible and effective method for analysis. The case study method more aptly examines causality, offers leverage in statistical data and analysis, produces better probability estimates, and predicts outcomes with more accuracy. This session will provide instructions on how to choose, organize, and execute a case study, and offer examples of the various types of case studies. As you consider which approach you wish to use for your own work, it may be helpful to keep in mind the general goals of any method; to gain a more rigorous recollection of developments in the past, and a more rigorous prediction of the future. Lecture by Dr. Lauren Wollman.
Keywords: case studies, process tracing, research, simulation exercises, statistical modeling
