This presentation will discuss how an explicitly critical realist philosophy of science can be useful when using social systems theory in case study research. There is little literature on the connection between critical realism and (social) systems theory and little on applying a critical realist perspective to case study research in the social sciences. This presentation aims to begin addressing these gaps.

Critical realism walks a different path to the dominant philosophies of science, positivism and hermeneutics. It avoids the epistemic fallacy by including ontological depth and addresses many of the other challenges inherent in the dominant approaches. It rejects positivist claims that only that which can be observed is real but equally rejects hermeneutic approaches that there is no objective reality, only that which is constructed by people. Critical realism describes reality as comprising three domains: the empirical (observed events), the actual (all events), and the real (generative mechanisms). It is the goal of science to explain the mechanisms of the real. Amongst much else, critical realism also states that scientific knowledge is always fallible and it should be judged by its approximations to reality, not its predictive ability.

Systems theory also places emphasis on exploring causality, highlighting that in many complex systems events may occur regardless of intention. Events, intended or otherwise, may be (re)produced through generative mechanisms keeping outputs steady (equilibrium-seeking, negative feedback loops) or amplifying them (reinforcing, positive feedback loops). Social systems theory is grounded on an understanding of the complexity of the world in which probability reigns and uncertainty is common.

Beginning from a critical realist perspective and employing social systems theory in case study research is useful for many reasons, primary among them is that it provides a structured approach to delving very deep in to the workings of society. The critical realist approach helps focus attention on how events are caused, or what must exist for events to occur. This gets away from analysing the world only through patterns and correlated, regular events. The systems theory approach acknowledges the artificial boundaries created in case study research and helps to consider the different mechanisms through which events are caused. Both critical realism and social systems theory emphasise the relational aspect of reality. This is especially useful when considering case studies as it moves the researcher away from mere description of actors and structures to focus on explaining the interactions between them.