Human–Environment Relationship: Comparative Case Studies

This chapter shares findings on faculty approaches to the design and teaching of peace and conflict at two Kenya universities to show the value of the comparative case study (CCS) approach in educational research. The chapter draws from a larger study that examined how different conceptions of peace, held by national officials, university administrators, faculty, and students, influenced the design and instruction of peace and conflict studies (PCS) programs in Kenyan universities, as well as students’ experiences of those programs. Although the two universities had very different missions and organizational structures, similarities in faculty members’ lived experiences and their awareness of a Kenyan peace knowledge resulted in congruent programs. Faculty at the two universities utilized peace knowledge to design contextually relevant peace curriculum that reflected local ways of knowing about peace. The chapter highlights the centrality of higher education institutions in peacebuilding, particularly the role of faculty knowledge in shaping university-based peacebuilding programs and outcomes. The chapter concludes by discussing the importance of considering unexpected similarities and differences between cases and the challenge of identifying patterns across cases without overgeneralizing.

Abstract: The integration of blockchain into smart cities represents a paradigm shift in how urban environments are conceptualized, governed, and sustained. This book, Blockchain in Smart Cities: Tools for Building Connected Urban Environments, provides a comprehensive analysis of blockchain as an enabling technology for resilient, transparent, and citizen-centric urban ecosystems. It examines the historical trajectory of smart cities, the foundational principles of blockchain, and their convergence in transforming critical infrastructures such as energy, mobility, healthcare, and governance. Through a multidimensional framework, the book explores blockchain’s potential to enhance transparency in public services, ensure secure property registries, and facilitate urban token economies. At the same time, it addresses pressing challenges such as scalability, cybersecurity, regulatory uncertainty, and social acceptance. Comparative global case studies—from Estonia’s e-governance to Dubai’s blockchain strategy—offer empirical insights into successes and limitations, highlighting the necessity of context-sensitive implementation. By synthesizing technological, economic, legal, and ethical perspectives, the book positions blockchain not merely as a digital tool but as an institutional innovation shaping the future of connected urban environments. It concludes with strategic policy recommendations and a roadmap for future research, underscoring blockchain’s transformative potential in building sustainable, inclusive, and adaptive cities for the 21st century and beyond. Keywords Blockchain, Smart Cities, Urban Innovation, Digital Governance, Token Economies, Smart Contracts, Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Urban Infrastructure, Sustainability, Cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Urban Planning, Circular Economy, Decentralized Autonomous Governance, Urban Resilience, Digital Transformation, Comparative Case Studies

The implementation of healthcare policies in healthcare organizations is a pivotal issue for managers. They generally require a change in professional practices. In previous work, we developed the Integrative Framework for Implementation of change in Nursing Practices (IFINP) to support implementation initiatives for such change in nursing practices. We aimed to assess the generalizability of IFINP in other organizational settings and explore links between strategic and socio-material factors during implementation. We used a comparative qualitative case study at three French hospitals to assess the implementation of certification procedures. Data were collected from 33 semi-structured interviews with managers and nurses. Narratives reflecting actions and interactions were extracted and deductively analyzed using IFINP components. The results showed that the framework was flexible and captured the different aspects of implementation actions and interactions at the three hospitals. Strong interferences were identified between mobilization mechanisms and strategic elements. Interferences were observed mostly between ‘reflexive monitoring and work articulation’, and ‘reflexive monitoring and sense-making’ mechanisms. Leadership was integrated into the different mechanisms, especially the ‘translation’ mechanism. The IFINP facilitated a greater understanding of strategic elements and associated relationships with social and material factors during implementation. It helps to provide a clear definition of the managers’ role when implementing new nurse practices.

The purpose of this study was to investigate formative postgraduate assessment from an international perspective while acknowledging the two countries’ differing cultures and environments. Using a case study approach, data were collected from research supervisors of postgraduate work at a university in the United States (USA) and a university in South Africa (SA). While many similarities were noted, differences also emerged. The most striking contrasts were: the apparent focus of USA supervisors in the institution studied on developing critical thinkers and the apparent focus of SA supervisors in the institution studied on production of the final product and paying attention to students’ culturally based values and beliefs. While not minimising the diverse policies and practices between these institutions, and their effects on doctoral supervision, we suggest that these differences may have their origins in the contrasting academic history and culture of the two countries.

Comparative case studies often rely on a practice known as selecting on the dependent variable. This technique involves choosing some phenomenon of political interest, gathering data on occurrences of the phenomenon, then determining what characteristics the occurrences have in common. A methodological strategy with a long history, selecting on the dependent variable has found numerous applications in political science, including the study of economic growth, social revolutions, and international conflict.' Selecting on the dependent variable has provided an important method for gathering information when there is relatively little data, though it is not limited to such situations. Its use has recently come under rather sharp attack. If observations are selected based on the value of the dependent variable, then estimates obtained by ordinary least squares will be biased. This bias can not be corrected by the introduction of control variables. Gathering more data will not solve the problem; the bias remains even if the number of observations goes to infinity. In short, inferences drawn from cases selected on the dependent variable are highly suspect.2 Impressive treatments of the problem from the position of comparative case study work have been presented by Barbara Geddes and by Gary King, Robert Keohane, and Sidney Verba.3 They have not only alerted the discipline to an important problem but have suggested concrete ways to deal with problems of selection bias.4 I would like to offer a qualified defense of analyses of a small number of cases selected on the dependent variable. As is well-known, selecting on the dependent variable is perfectly admissible if one is evaluating necessary (as opposed to sufficient) conditions.5 However, with a few exceptions, this argument has gone unnoticed in the debate on case selection.6 By concentrating on the logic of testing necessary conditions, this paper attempts to show that the methodological implications of selecting on the dependent variable are much less threatening to the validity of small-n comparative case study work than has often been claimed.

Food systems are vulnerable to the impacts of resource scarcity, climate change, and population growth, as well as the issues associated with unsustainable social, environmental and economic practices. These challenges have encouraged local food systems as an alternative to global supply chains. This thesis studies this trend at the urban level in order to explore issues and opportunities for change. It argues that urban food systems need to embrace both sustainability and resilience. A sustainable urban food system has an economy that serves social needs while safely operating within ecological limits. Resilience, on the other hand, includes the ability to recover from shocks such as extreme weather events, as well as the capacity to adapt and ultimately transform in response to the ongoing impacts of climate change. The main research question that this thesis investigates is “How can alternative food networks help to foster sustainable and resilient urban food systems considering climate change and increased urbanisation?” A comparative case study approach was used involving local initiatives in the Brisbane and greater Melbourne metropolitan regions (Australia). Both Australian urban areas have similar economic development; however, differences can be found in terms of institutional interest and the existence of food policies. The gathering of a diverse picture of alternative food networks was the strategy adopted for selecting the initiatives that participated in this research. The criteria that alternative food networks should attend were the existence of goals related to access to healthy food, fairer conditions for food workers, and reduction of environmental impacts. The thesis used multiple sources of data including primary (semi-structured interviews with founders or members of initiatives and field observation) and secondary data (publicly available documents such as annual reports). The findings of this research contribute to the conceptualisation and planning of sustainable and resilient urban food systems, as well as, to the knowledge on the role and limitations of alternative food networks in achieving this. The case study conducted in this thesis revealed how alternative food networks can contribute to the creation of food provision systems that are aligned with environmental sustainability and social justice. The thesis exposed the particularities of initiatives that, among other aspects, have minimal food loss and waste, supports agroecology, provides farmers with fair payment and makes organic food affordable. Alternative food networks demonstrated to have resilience building capacity, something that is not confined to its borders and can impact on the whole urban food system. Alternative food networks’ values travel and allow the replication and creation of new models, however, not in the pace necessary for a wider urban food system transformation. The main challenge exposed by this thesis for alternative food networks is the need for scaling up by influencing institutions and policies more broadly.

Implementing a set of health promoting processes in English secondary schools: A comparative case study

ABSTRACTEthnic tourism is a catalyst for economic and sociocultural development in many countries. However, ethnic tourism development has given rise to many challenges associated with the sustainable development of ethnic regions within different cultural contexts. This paper addresses the social aspect of sustainable ethnic tourism through comparative case studies of two ethnic Hakka tourism destinations, Nanyuan and Sujiawei villages in Heyuan, Guangdong Province, China. The comparative case-study research design included in-depth interviews, document analysis and a household study in each case-study village. The comparative case study provides insights into factors contributing to socially sustainable ethnic tourism in China, including levels of community involvement, control of the tourism ‘product’, the benefits accruing to the ethnic community, perceived inconveniences/externalities and authenticity considerations. This study contributes to a better understanding of socially sustainable ethnic tourism in a Chinese context, and has practical implications for ethnic tourism destination marketing, management and policy-making.

El presente documento forma parte de las evaluaciones comparativas que realiza la Oficina de Evaluacion y Supervision sobre proyectos financiados por el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID). En ella se analiza el apoyo proporcionado por el BID a la ejecucion de programas de transferencias monetarias condicionadas (TMC) en tres paises de ingreso medio-bajo. Esta evaluacion es pertinente por dos razones. En primer lugar, la mayoria de los prestamos y operaciones de cooperacion tecnica del BID en apoyo de programas de TMC han financiado iniciativas en paises de mediano ingreso por lo que el conocimiento y los documentos de los programas de TMC que apoya el BID suelen referirse a paises que poseen sistemas de salud y educacion mas avanzados; esta evaluacion tiene por finalidad aportar mayor informacion empirica sobre la implementacion de programas de este tipo en paises de ingreso medio-bajo. En segundo lugar, la ejecucion satisfactoria de programas de TMC exige un alto grado de capacidad institucional y cooperacion entre las agencias que participan en su implementacion. Estas exigencias institucionales han fundamentado las criticas de algunos especialistas sobre la relevancia de los programas de TMC en paises de ingreso bajo, teniendo en cuenta la complejidad de su diseno institucional y, en algunos casos, la deficiente provision de servicios basicos en esos paises. Esta evaluacion examina dichas consideraciones para los programas seleccionados.

This study explored the subjective experiences of community mental health nurses whose clients disclosed sexual contact with a former physician. Theory, opinion literature, and my own clinical experience support the belief that disclosures such as these challenge nurses with their complexity and intensity. Three nurses' accounts of their clients' disclosures constituted cases for comparison and generated a beginning theoretical framework. Data were collected by multiple, indepth, unstructured, audiotaped interviews. Open coding and axial coding techniques of content analysis were used to analyze the data collected, and each set of data was .then compared and contrasted. The Cycle of Focusing Attention was identified as the integrating concept in a conceptual framework that describes how nurses alternately focus their attention on the client and on themselves, with the goal of alleviating client suffering. Contained in this cycle were: two concepts, Focusing on the Client and Focusing on Self; four subconcepts, Collecting Information, Using Interventions, Experiencing Feelings, and Analyzing Thoughts; and two modifying-concepts, Analyzing Boundaries and Analyzing Power. Data analysis revealed that despite the passage of time the details and circumstances of the disclosure experience remained vivid in the nurses' minds. Nurses experienced moral outrage and powerlessness at the physicians' misuse of professional power, and these feelings did not lessen with time. Despite their personal feelings the. nurses maintained a professional demeanor and consistently treated their clients in caring and respectful ways. The nurses were immediately certain that the physician's sexual behavior was unethical. They understood the therapeutic needs of their clients related to client-therapist sexual contact, and the social and ethical demands of reporting. Implementation of the study's findings could lead to more effective clinical practice, thereby lessening the suffering of both client and nurse.

Confessions and the Right to a Fair Trial: A Comparative Case Study

This article considers the role of generalization in comparative case studies, using as exemplars the contributions to this special issue on climate change politics. As a research practice, generalization is a logical argument for extending one’s claims beyond the data, positing a connection between events that were studied and those that were not. No methodological tradition is exempt from the requirement to demonstrate a compelling logic of generalization. The article presents a taxonomy of the logics of generalization underlying diverse research methodologies, which often go unstated and unexamined. I introduce the concept of resonance groups, which provide a causeway for cross-system generalization from single case studies. Overall the results suggest that in the comparative study of complex political systems, case study research is, ceteris paribus, on par with large-N research with respect to generalizability.

BackgroundIntegrated care is the coordination of general and behavioral health and is a highly promising and practical approach to improving healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. While there is growing interest and investment in integrated care implementation internationally, there are no formal guidelines for integrated care implementation applicable to diverse healthcare systems. Furthermore, there is a complex interplay of factors at multiple levels of influence that are necessary for successful implementation of integrated care in health systems.MethodsGuided by the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework (Aarons et al., 2011), a multiple case study design was used to address two research objectives: 1) To highlight current integrated care implementation efforts through seven international case studies that target a range of healthcare systems, patient populations and implementation strategies and outcomes, and 2) To synthesize the shared and unique challenges and successes across studies using the EPIS framework.ResultsThe seven reported case studies represent integrated care implementation efforts from five countries and continents (United States, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Israel, and Nigeria), target a range of clinical populations and care settings, and span all phases of the EPIS framework. Qualitative synthesis of these case studies illuminated common outer context, inner context, bridging and innovation factors that were key drivers of implementation.ConclusionsWe propose an agenda that outlines priority goals and related strategies to advance integrated care implementation research. These goals relate to: 1) the role of funding at multiple levels of implementation, 2) meaningful collaboration with stakeholders across phases of implementation and 3) clear communication to stakeholders about integrated care implementation.Trial registrationNot applicable.

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of two conceptually similar community organizing efforts that highlights commonalities and important differences. This study first presents a qualitative analysis of two approaches to community organizing for power. Our analysis was made possible by participation and collaboration with members of community organizations which opened the way for access to documents, events, interviews, and settings that formed the basis of our case study. We also present some quantitative data concerning participant perceptions of organizing experiences and outcomes. These data highlight important differences in community organizing approaches, differences we believe can be useful to our field as we struggle with the important concepts of empowerment and power.

Parental involvement in children’s education is commonly accepted as beneficial. However, family social class plays a crucial role in the efficacy of homework help. In a comparative case study, a low-income immigrant family from Mexico and a middle-income family in Los Angeles were observed helping their children with math homework and were asked questions about goals, tutoring strategies, and beliefs about learning. Qualitative analysis focused on two effective teaching methods: scaffolding and productive struggle. The low-income mother with little formal education provided direct help rather than a scaffold, and disapproved of hard problems. However, an older sibling with more education than her mother used scaffolding and believed that difficult problems aid learning. In these respects, she resembled the college-educated middle-income mother. The sister exemplifies how older siblings in immigrant families provide bridges to educational achievement for younger siblings. We suggest effective ways for schools to involve parents who lacked educational opportunity themselves to participate in the education of their children. How to cite this article: Vazquez, S. R., & Greenfield, P. M. (2021). The Influence of Social Class on Family Participation in Children’s Education: A Case Study. Revista Colombiana de Psicología, 30(1), 133-147. https://doi.org/10.15446/rcp.v30n1.89185