Qualitative research: does it fit in economics?

This article discusses the role that case studies, built upon open-ended interviews with economic actors, can play in economic research. It argues that such material cannot be treated directly as empirical evidence. Rather it provides a way of building theory, by offering a critical perspective on the standard theoretical assumptions of the discipline and offering alternatives with which to construct theoretical models. It illustrates several alternative ways in which this can be done, drawing on examples from my own research. European Management Review (2006) 3, 17-23. doi: 10.1057/palgrave.emr.1500053