Sampling and Choosing Cases in Qualitative Research

Nick Emmel teaches research methods and the sociology and social policy of international health and health care at the School of Sociology and Social Policy, the University of Leeds. He has conducted extensive research in the UK and India interpreting and explaining processes of vulnerability, with a focus on inequalities and inequities in health.

• Introduction From Sampling to Choosing CasesPART ONE: THE CASESTheoretical SamplingPurposeful SamplingTheoretical or Purposive SamplingPART TWO: CHOOSING CASESThe Basics of Realist SamplingPurposive Work in a Realist Sampling StrategyPurposefully Choosing CasesInterpretation and ExplanationSample SizeChoosing Cases in Qualitative Research

This text provides a clear guide to realist qualitative methods and also offers plenty of practical examples to illustrate its central argument that qualitative research would benefit greatly from a realist approach. It will prove helpful to researchers as well as those interested in teaching qualitative methods.