PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE EUROPE? - TU Berlin

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Case studies are often accused of subjectivity and selectivity since they are not
“replicable” science in the strict sense of the word. Non-replicability, however, is an
intrinsic, almost necessary feature of all qualitative work dealing with complex topics.
All research that relies upon the gathering, selection and evaluation of large amounts of
qualitative information is in some way non-replicable. In my case the vastness of the
information impacting on my subject area was especially overwhelming. Yet there is no
better solution to this problem than for the researcher to be diligent about documenting
her primary and secondary sources, about the (construct, internal and external) validity
and reliability of her research design, and finally, for the reader to give her the benefit of
the doubt as far as any purposeful distortion of facts, events or discourses is concerned. 7
1.5 The Unit(s) of Analysis
The general unit of analysis in this study is the European Union, or rather its
development approach, which the EU purports to be “sustainable development.” I use
the sub-area of transport infrastructure investment decision-making in the context of
enlargement as my specific case study area, i.e. sub-unit of analysis. In the end, as is
typical for many case studies, the overall case study review is really comprised of several
sub-case studies evaluating different EU policies, programs and actual projects related to
the topic. With regard to EU institutions, my view is mostly focused on the work and
workings of the European Commission, which is the only EU institution vested with
7 Recurring media reports about falsified results in medical research have taught us that even the supposedly more
objective natural sciences are not immune to politicking and outright deceit. But in the end, reductionism is not an
option for the social sciences, since quantitative research alone will never yield relevant answers to today’s most
pressing social and environmental problems.