Institutional Learning and Change Initiative

The following text is drawn from ISNAR (2003).

Case studies are one of the most useful methods of examining the relationship between R&D and its associated economic and social impacts. Case studies involve a detailed and thorough analysis of particular R&D projects or programs, and seek to track and document the evolution of economic and social impacts associated with these activities. Case studies are generally conducted in conjunctions with other methods such as surveys and B-C methods.

Advantages of Case Studies

When case studies are carried out in sufficient number and in sufficient detail, they represent probably the best chance of fully identifying the relationship between R&D activities and the resulting economic and social impacts.

Problems with Case Studies

Since case studies relate to specific R&D projects or a specific sample of projects, it is difficult (generally impossible) to aggregate the “results” from a group of case studies or to generalize the results to larger R&D activities, such as R&D programs or major research efforts.

Suitability of Case Studies

Case studies are suitable to estimate the impact of past R&D activities, although they are more suitable for assessing applied research.
 

Source: ISNAR (2003) Monitoring, Evaluation, and Impact Assessment of R&D Investments in Agriculture, The Hague: International Service for National Agricultural Research.