Using data collected as part of a larger, four country, international comparative study, the challenges and strengths of rapid ethnography (RE) are explored. To deepen and enhance the study, in each case study (nine completed to date) an insider is paired with an outsider researcher in order to draw on a comparative perspective from the researcher team involved in each individual case study, as well as across the four countries and nine studies. The article concludes that because of its strengths and rapid turnaround, RE provides a way for international comparative studies to continue despite sharp decreases in research funding and, in our case, produced important insights for those seeking to understand and derail the seemingly unstoppable impacts of neoliberalism and managerialism in social service delivery.