Qualitative Research and Public Policy: The Challenges of Relevance and Trustworthiness

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between qualitative research and public policy. For decades, qualitative and quantitative methodologists have debated the merits of one perspective in relation to others. Scholars, using diverse epistemological and ontological stances, have contested different beliefs about the criteria for judgment of rigorous research. Yet, such exchanges routinely ignore the unique ways in which qualitative research can inform policy. In this paper, the authors acknowledge previous examinations, and also intend to create a new discourse. The authors present the limitations of qualitative research; these limitations have historically been the justifications used by individuals to discount the use of qualitative research for policy studies. They conclude with the need to refocus on the usefulness of qualitative research and offer an evolving set of criteria for conducting policy-related research. The purpose is neither to oppose nor to diminish select methodologies; instead, it is to suggest a complimentary suite of qualitative and quantitative approaches to better investigate social issues.