Case Study Design and Grounded Theory: Theory Building in Qualitative Political Science Research

Asma Shabbir, Awais Jahangir, Faiza Khan — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0500

Qualitative Research in Political Science relies on its philosophical foundations and methodological designs. Case Study and Grounded theory are two prominent approaches in the field of Political Science. The present study made an epistemological and methodological comparison of case study and grounded theory methods and explores how case study design contributes in the field of political science research contrast to grounded theory. The aim of the research is to analyze and explores in-depth study of both methods. The study adopts Qualitative, comparative and interpretive methodology to study case study design and grounded theory. Data is collected through a systematic literature review of existing secondary sources such as book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles on case study and grounded theory are analyzed. It concluded that while grounded theory is inductive and seeks to develop novel theories from raw data but case study design contributes through contextualized theorization either inductively or deductively. Comparative Case study design uncovers anomalies and generating new theories in political science research through employing process tracing and causal inference methods.

Annals of Human and Social Sciences

Case Study Design and Grounded Theory: Theory Building in Qualitative Political Science Research