creators_name: Midmore, Peter creators_name: Padel, Susanne creators_name: Schermer, Markus creators_id: 607 creators_id: 348 creators_id: 284 type: conference_item datestamp: 2006-05-19 lastmod: 2009-09-09 13:40:10 metadata_visibility: show title: The Case Study Method in Organic Research subjects: 8policy subjects: 2systems subjects: 5markets full_text_status: public abstract: This paper argues that the systematic complexity of agriculture requires a methodological pluralism, and that case studies, used hitherto as an ad hoc and exploratory approach, might be developed as a rigorous and appropriate investigational tool in their own right, with particular relevance for the organic sector. It provides a review of the main outlines of the approach and illustrates its application in the context of marketing initiatives and their impact on rural development processes. It concludes that important insights into how and why policies work can be obtained from a comparative case study framework, which cannot be wholly obtained from other approaches. date: 2009-08-20 date_type: submitted citation: Midmore, Peter; Padel, Susanne and Schermer, Markus (2009) The Case Study Method in Organic Research. document_url: http://orgprints.org/8533/1/Midmore_case_study_method.pdf