DO PHYSICISTS USE CASE-STUDIES - THOUGHTS ON PUBLIC-ADMINISTRATION RESEARCH

Is the case study approach an appropriate methodology in public administration research? In contrast to the views of McCurdy and Cleary (1984), White (1986b), and others, Mary Timney Bailey posits that case study methods are central to the work of physics, chemistry, and other "hard" sciences which those critics seek to emulate in the study of Public Administration. She argues that properly structured case studies will live up to the scientific standards of rigor, including generalizability, transferability, and replicatability. In addition, Bailey addresses the argument against the practitioner-focused research by reasserting Dwight Waldo's contention that a bond exists between theory and practice in public administration.