In search of theory? The workplace case study tradition in the 21st century

Patrick McGovern

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: Workplace case studies have been valued by some for their ability to advance theory while others dismiss them as little more than descriptive stories. This paper presents a detailed content analysis of case study articles to assess the relative balance between theory, conceptual analysis and description. Drawing on a random sample of papers (n = 173) published in leading journals, I find that fewer than one in seven are descriptive papers while only one in ten are theory oriented. Using three criteria, I identify exemplars of theoretical and conceptual analysis and show how these may be used to advance the field.

JEL-codes: J01 R14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 17 pages
Date: 2020-05-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hpe
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Published in Industrial Relations Journal, 1, May, 2020, 51(3), pp. 136 - 152. ISSN: 0019-8692

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:103926

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