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Scope: Causal and Conceptual Homogeneity in Qualitative Research
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Case study researchers also often invoke two or more levels in their arguments.
Hence, scope statements may be needed for lower levels as well as the main level.
We do not pretend that these three kinds of causal arguments exhaust the menu
that one is likely to find. However, we do think they constitute some common kindsof causal claims that are expressed and explored in the qualitative and case studyliterature.
Conclusion
Scope is really a series of homogeneity claims – arguments about the homogeneity ofnot only causal relations, but also core conceptual entities. We think that includingconcept homogeneity as part of scope is essential, since instability in causal relation-ships is not necessarily a result of poor model specification but may in fact be a prob-lem with the measurement of key concepts. A few inappropriate cases or measures ofindependent or dependent variables can wreck havoc with the causal claims involvingtheory-limiting or causal variables. Cleaning up the concepts may be more effectivethan trying to rework the theory.
At the same time, when one does focus on more traditional issues of causal homo-
geneity, it is important that one pays close attention to the specific causal claims thatare invoked. The scope issues that arise for the kinds of causal arguments developedin case study research are different from those that arise in large-N research. In ad-dition, within the case-study tradition itself, different kinds of causal arguments raisedistinct considerations for specifying theory scope.
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Case study researchers also often invoke two or more levels in their arguments.
Hence, scope statements may be needed for lower levels as well as the main level.
We do not pretend that these three kinds of causal arguments exhaust the menu
that one is likely to find. However, we do think they constitute some common kinds
of causal claims that are expressed and explored in the qualitative and case study
literature.
Conclusion
Scope is really a series of homogeneity claims – arguments about the homogeneity of
not only causal relations, but also core conceptual entities. We think that including
concept homogeneity as part of scope is essential, since instability in causal relation-
ships is not necessarily a result of poor model specification but may in fact be a prob-
lem with the measurement of key concepts. A few inappropriate cases or measures of
independent or dependent variables can wreck havoc with the causal claims involving
theory-limiting or causal variables. Cleaning up the concepts may be more effective
than trying to rework the theory.
At the same time, when one does focus on more traditional issues of causal homo-
geneity, it is important that one pays close attention to the specific causal claims that
are invoked. The scope issues that arise for the kinds of causal arguments developed
in case study research are different from those that arise in large-N research. In ad-
dition, within the case-study tradition itself, different kinds of causal arguments raise
distinct considerations for specifying theory scope.
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