A research on methods and applications of case study in public administration

Case study is a very common and important research method. It has been widely used in public administration. However, it tends to be questioned, misunderstood and misused in Chinese public administration. The scientific standard of case study method is far beyond establishment in China. In this paper, we try to explain what a case study is and how to use it scientifically, including the definition, characteristics, category, operational steps and quality criteria. We also analyze some common controversy and misunderstanding about case study in Chinese public administration, and point out that, Chinese public administrative case researchers should improve their case research skills, follow scientific procedures and requirements of case study and report case research results scientifically, as they using case study method.