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Learning from Second‐Hand Experience: Methodology for Extrapolation‐Oriented Case Research
Author(s) -
BARZELAY MICHAEL
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
governance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.46
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1468-0491
pISSN - 0952-1895
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0491.2007.00369.x
Subject(s) - extrapolation , government (linguistics) , adaptation (eye) , work (physics) , public management , political science , public relations , computer science , public administration , sociology , engineering , psychology , mathematics , mechanical engineering , mathematical analysis , philosophy , linguistics , neuroscience
Critics of public management reform complain that governments copy legitimated foreign practices. Recent work by Eugene Bardach helps to explain why: neither government analysts nor academic researchers possess an adequate methodology to examine practices in source sites, with a view toward adaptation in target sites. Rather than complain, Bardach takes steps to develop such a methodology, drawing analogies with reverse engineering. This article offers specific guidance about how researchers can effectively investigate practices in source sites to prepare the ground for disciplined and ingenious extrapolation of practices from source to target sites. The resulting translation is illustrated by an extrapolation‐oriented case study.