Chapter 3: Methodology
3.2. Case Study Approach
Case studies are a strategy for collecting empirical data on a real-world situation or group of people using a range of data collection techniques (Robson, 2002). The research adopted a case study approach in order to address the primary research questions highlighted in Chapter 1. In particular, the research seeks to find out whether issues, factors, motivations and priorities for adaptation differ between Scottish island communities. Case studies are a beneficial method when attempting to analyse how and why people think or behave in certain ways in relation to contemporary events (Yin, 2014). Other approaches to research, such as a survey of all households in the Scottish Islands,
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provide more detailed results about the ‘how’ and ‘why’, particularly when more
than one case study is used. For instance, a question like ‘how and why do motivations and priorities differ across Scottish island communities?’ can be
appropriately addressed using a case study approach. A comparison of groups or situations can be undertaken through the use of multiple case studies, (see Section 3.2.1). Case studies can be advantageous within research that seeks to gather empirical data in order to understand the reasons underpinning the beliefs and opinions of one, or several, human groups. Furthermore, case studies form a good methodological fit for understanding issues, factors, motivations and priorities for adaptation in small island communities within a CR context.
3.2.1. Multiple Case Studies
Having considered the concept of case study design, an exploratory approach was taken when investigating the case studies in order to answer the principal research questions. A case study is an appropriate choice of method particularly when the researcher cannot control the issues that are being explored (Yin, 2014). Climate-related hazards, impacts and consequences fall into the category of issues that are outwith the control of the researcher. The use of multiple case studies supports the investigation of similarities or differences between cases. The results of one case study cannot be generalised to the wider population. The beliefs of one group do not necessarily reflect those of comparable groups. However, the results of multiple case studies could indicate patterns across cases, thus allowing the results to be theoretically generalised whilst helping to validate the findings. This is comparable to a laboratory study where a round of experiments would be undertaken using the same (or similar) variables each time to authenticate the results of the original experiment (Yin, 2014). Therefore, it is logically justifiable to use multiple case studies in order to develop wider conclusions about similarities or differences between the results. Using multiple case studies can allow for a set of final conclusions that can be cross-referenced to highlight common or disparate issues. For these reasons, the present research adopts a multiple case study approach.
The research seeks to identify and compare the issues, factors, motivations and priorities for adaptation across Scottish island communities in order to contribute to current theory on one-size-fits-all adaptation planning. Therefore, it was deemed appropriate to use multiple Scottish island communities as case studies in a comparative analysis to determine whether (and why) cross-case adaptation motivations and priorities were similar or different, and to understand the implications for future adaptation planning. Three case studies from three different Scottish island groups were systematically selected: Unst (Shetland), Westray (Orkney) and South Uist (Outer Hebrides). Section 3.2.2 presents the systematic case study selection process. During methodological design, it was decided that the investigation would employ a maximum of three case studies due to the temporal and logistical constraints of the research. The communities were selected from differing Scottish island groups that have contrasting physical and socio- economic characteristics. Consequently, it is possible to produce a piece of
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Islands. The multiple case study approach serves to address the research questions through an analytical comparison of three Scottish island communities. 3.2.2. Systematic Selection of Case Studies
It was of primary importance to select the case study locations within the Scottish islands before any manner of data collection could be undertaken. Around 800 islands exist around Scotland, 93 of which are inhabited (Scotland’s
Census, 2011f; SNH, 2013). Given the vast assortment of inhabited Scottish islands, a strategic and systematic approach was adopted in order to condense these to an unbiased selection of three case study islands. Initially, each inhabited Scottish island was systematically compared against a set of criteria containing baseline conditions for two fundamental island variables: land area extent (km2) and population. The criteria consisted of respective minimum and
maximum limits: 4km2 to 400km2 for land area extent, and 500 to 2000 people
for population It is important to highlight that these comparisons are relative, especially considering that the Office for National Statistics outline a ‘minor’
built-up area as consisting of 10,000 usual residents or less based on the England and Wales Census of 2011.
Communities are the unit of study for the research. It was hypothesised that island-wide communities would likely exist in islands that were of small geographical extent and low population. The upper bounding limits of 400km2
and 2000 people were imposed because it was posited that islands exceeding these limits would likely be made up of multiple nested communities rather than an island-wide community. Larger islands that plainly exceeded both the upper limits of population and area, such as Mainland Shetland and Mainland Orkney, were known to contain a wide variety of communities spread among towns, villages and hamlets, and were therefore excluded. The criteria containing upper limits for population and land area extent helped to condense the selection to small islands that would likely contain an island-wide community which could be used as a case study. Unst, South Uist and Westray each contain an island-wide community, evidenced in participant responses presented in Chapter 5. It is possible that islands beyond the lower limits of 4km2 and 500 people could have
been considered within the research. However, these lower boundaries were set as a means of systematically reducing the volume of potential study islands to a more manageable selection within which three comparable case studies could be selected.
Information on population and land area extent was collected for every inhabited Scottish island. Population figures were sourced through Scotland’s
Census, whilst the work of Haswell-Smith (2004) was consulted to gather values for area extent. The established criteria were then systematically applied to each inhabited Scottish island. Any islands that fell above or below the fixed limits for either of the fundamental variables were removed. Islands that belong to the Inner Hebrides were eliminated due to their relatively close geographical proximity to the Scottish mainland in comparison with Shetland, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides. The remaining potential study islands are presented in Table 3.1.
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Having excluded some islands based on the aforementioned criteria, the remaining islands were further refined as part of the strategic approach to case study selection. The next phase of systematic selection involved a preliminary investigation into the geographical location and social background of each potential study island. This phase sought to identify which of the short-listed islands were geographically remote based on their proximity to other islands and key island towns such as Lerwick (Shetland), Kirkwall (Orkney) and Stornoway (Outer Hebrides). The presence of amenities in each island, such as convenience stores and community halls, was explored in an attempt to understand social remoteness, particularly in islands with limited amenities, and the ways in which communities operate within a small island. Community-scale development efforts were also investigated as a means of identifying a community presence within each island.
Three case study islands were ultimately selected based on geographical remoteness and social backgrounds: Unst (Shetland), Westray (Orkney) and South Uist (Outer Hebrides). Unst and Westray are similar in terms of population, remoteness and community development. Both are geographically remote in comparison to mainland areas and each contains a limited selection of amenities. Evidence of active community-driven development in Unst and Westray indicated the existence of an island-wide community in each island. In the Outer Hebrides, Barra was originally considered as a potential case study. Despite being considerably larger in population compared to Unst and Westray, it has the smallest population of the four potential Outer Hebrides case studies and is the most geographically remote. However, when investigating the social background of each potential Outer Hebrides case study, it became clear that climate-related issues were a prevalent part of community life in South Uist following the storm of 2005 and subsequent loss of five community members. It was therefore deemed pertinent to adopt South Uist as a case study despite the existence of a considerably larger population than Unst and Westray.
Although South Uist is connected to neighbouring islands via fixed causeway links, it is geographically remote in relation to Stornoway and the Scottish mainland. Amenities in South Uist are also limited, particularly in comparison to island towns like Stornoway. In this sense, South Uist, Westray and Unst are similar. Active community-driven development is also evident in South Uist. Overall, it was concluded that Unst, Westray and South Uist are relatively similar in terms of remoteness, the presence of island amenities and community-led development initiatives. Therefore, suitable comparisons can be drawn between the three case studies.
76 Population (2011) Area (km2) Orkney South Ronaldsay 909 49.8 Westray 588 47.13 Shetland Whalsay 1061 19.7 Yell 966 212.11 West Burra 776 7.43 Unst 632 120.68 OuterHebrides South Uist 1754 320.26 Benbecula 1303 82.03 North Uist 1254 303.05 Barra 1174 68.35
Table 3.1: The selection of potential case study islands following the application of population (500-2000 people) and land area extent (4-400km2) criteria. The
islands that were ultimately selected as case studies are highlighted in bold.