Case-based complexity: within-case time variation and temporal casing

Abstract

We observe that time is central to most social dynamics and yet remains poorly understood. The complexity sciences have contributed a wide range of concepts and tools to investigate and recast time in social systems. However, the dominant focus on quantitative models and quantification of data in the complexity sciences also prohibits a deeper understanding of time. As such, there is a need to fuse alternative notions of time with how it is commonly understood and measured in the complexity sciences. To this end, we juxtapose diverse notions of time from the social sciences and comment upon how this contrasts with notions in the complexity sciences. We will demonstrate how (qualitative) temporal casing can more appropriately capture social and causal complexity through within-case time variation. We use examples from research into megaprojects to demonstrate how temporal casing plays out in empirical analysis.

Keywords

• time
• case research
• methods
• complex causality