Concluding reflections on case study research and its prospects

This final chapter provides reflections on the handbook as a scholarly contribution (product) and as a valuable learning experience (process). It first discusses how our understanding of case study research has been expanded, identifying key features of the handbook such as the rich diversity of case studies and use of illustrative examples in different disciplines and fields. This first section also engages with common case study terminology, methods of data generation and mixing of methods. The second part of the chapter shares what we learned as editors about the processes of curating and editing the Handbook. This section also lists chapters we sought but which for various reasons did not make it into the present collection. Adopting a future-oriented perspective, the final section of the chapter draws on the perspectives of contributing authors to specify key challenges, opportunities and future directions for case study research, for advancing this scholarship.