O uso de estudos de caso em pesquisas sobre política ambiental: Vantagens e limitações

Abstract

The analysis of environmental issues in a political context is a topic that attracts growing attention within Political Science, yet requires specific methodological considerations. One of methods that is most frequently employed in research linked to environmental policy is that of case studies. The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of such a methodology within the sub-discipline. Some general conceptual issues on the method and the advantages and disadvantages it offers are sketched out. Furthermore, the study of environmental politics is distinguished from other research topics within Political Science, contextualizing its specific methodological needs and the role of case studies in research on environmental politics is analyzed, looking at its inherent ambiguities, the advantages and general limitations of the methodology and five forms of analysis and inference: covariance analysis, counterfactual analysis, causal process tracing and tests for congruence and comparison of cases. Of these five approaches, two stand out as particularly relevant for political and environmental research, although they occupy almost opposite positions in terms of practical advantages and applicability: causal process tracing and counterfactual analysis. The complementary use of these and other approaches, whether in one or more studies on issues of environmental policy, is extremely useful for the empirical and theoretical development of the sub-discipline.