CASE STUDY: A USEFUL TOOL TO IDENTIFY THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS
BY: SYEDA SUMAYYAH LAIQ*

Case means a particular situation or condition that what actually exist or happen in society, so the Case study is a method, a technique or an approach which provides a qualitative analysis of facts and realities in order to trace the evolution and growth of problems in its all aspects which exist in a society.
Not all social conditions and situations become elevated to the status of Social Problem” but their chances of being a problems are there because social problems are those existing conditions, which are perceived as social problems publicly. There must be some public outcry; people must become actively involved in discussing the problems. These conditions exist today in the entire world and threaten the whole world but there is serious need to distinguish and detect these conditions with its respective status.
In order to identify the problems in the society one has to use different techniques and method to diagnose the root causes of these problems and Case study is a best-suited instrument, which indicates the investigation of social problems.
Case study is a research strategy; it examines a contemporary phenomenon with in its real life context. It is considered as one of the best way of making credible research. It basically builds up ideas about any particular topic, situation or condition.
In the context of identifying the social problems, case study helps for seeking about any single or particular complex problem, based on comprehensive understanding of that problem, which is obtained by extensive description and analysis of the problems. Although this method helps in investigating and analyzing the situation in different discipline but we effectively use this approach to study the social problems carefully with their different aspects. It includes intensive, detailed analysis and description of individual or group, institution as complex in order to identify the basic causes, issues and reasons about the problems
Through case study a great deal of data about any problem in identifying the status and grounds of the problems can be gathered in which we learn and analyze about the complexities of situation through its extensive description and contextual analysis. For examples there are different social problems, which have their different repercussions in the whole world, can be environmental problems like forest degradation, ozone depletion. It can be about resource depletion, limited energy supplies, education, corporate corruption, unemployment, poverty, drug abuse, family decline, nuclear war, moral decline, weakening institutions of religion and Government.
These are some of the problems and more other problems, which are present in the society but are not identified, with the help of case study we can highlight these problems with their all dimensions, can notice the basis of these conditions, point out the foundational causes which rise and than transform a condition in to severe problems which become more complex to identify and overcome.

Conclusion
In short we can say that case study is an in-depth and detailed analysis of some or any topic through which the issues and problems can be identified, not only we can identify or acknowledge the problems but also we can distinct these problems from other situations. Through analysis and collecting the material we can examine the situation on a very effective scale with their root causes and origins.
So case study is one of the very useful and helpful tools to bring the basic causes of generating problems in to consideration.

* Student, M.A (Final) First Semester (2006), Department of International Relations, University of Karach

All content (C) Department of International Relations, Karachi University

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