2024 Volume 96 Issue 2 Pages 167-180
This article aims to provide guidelines for methodology in positivism-based case studies related to policy research. Firstly, it criticizes policy research rooted in neoclassical economics for its unrealistic assumptions about the scope and objectives of policymakers, advocating for an approach based on public policy studies that endogenizes all aspects of the policy process. Secondly, it analyzes manuscripts published in the Journal of Rural Economics over the past 23 years to elucidate the characteristics and limitations of policy research within this society. Furthermore, it identifies case studies as a suitable research design for policy research based on public policy studies and outlines the conditions for case studies to meet in terms of empirical validity and generalizability. Finally, it offers recommendations to the society and its members regarding the future mission of agricultural economics in the context of policy research.