As of March 2026, this website is no longer being updated. I now work mainly on climate issues, especially in Brighton and Hove, and new work can be found on the website of Climate:Change, our independent think-tank on socially inclusive action in the City: www.climatechangebh.org.uk.
Meanwhile, however, this website has over 850 entries, mostly representing my work on international development from 2010-2025. Among much else, there are over 50 book reviews, more than 20 papers and training cases on bridging research and policy and on managing think-tanks, nearly 100 articles on climate change, and many papers on other topics, including aid, food security and nutrition, and the future of international development. See ‘Topics and Themes’ for more details. I can be reached at sm@simonmaxwell.net.
The Role Of Case Studies In Farming Systems Research
'The Role Of Case Studies In Farming Systems Research' in Agricultural Administration, Vol 21, No 3, pp 147-180, 1986
This paper discusses the case study method as a useful and cost-effective addition to the range of research tools used in multidisciplinary farming systems research. The case study method provides information that would be hard to obtain by other means, as well as an opportunity for close collaboration between social scientists, natural scientists and farmers. Practical problems include selection and representativeness; data and data collection; analysis and reporting; and follow-up. The argument is illustrated with an example from Santa Cruz, Bolivia.