The Utility of Constructivist Grounded Theory in Critical Policy Analysis

Abstract

Constructivist grounded theory (CGT) has gained traction as a popular method across various fields in both the social and natural sciences. Its acclaim lies in its constructivist and pragmatist heritages that emphasize flexibility, co-construction and subjectivity. Despite its general appeal, CGT remain largely unexplored in the area of critical policy analysis. Using data from an alcohol policy dissertation in Botswana, this paper applies CGT to What’s the Problem Represented to Be (WPR), a Foucauldian-inspired poststructural policy analysis framework. WPR served as a framework while CGT provided strategies to do it. The paper demonstrates the utility of CGT as a useful strategy in critical policy analysis. The practice of CGT aligns with critical policy studies that consider subjectivity, temporality and reject value-free enquiry. Furthermore, CGT aligns with policy analysis studies that explicate human experience and meanings. The implications of deploying CGT to critical policy analysis are outlined in the paper.

Methodological confluence: Weaving Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) and Indigenous research methods

“…Grounding theory in the experiences of participants is a key principle of CGT. Meaning-making between researchers and participants is a mutual exercise where both parties bring their values in the research process (Sebeelo, 2022). In other words, both the researcher and the participant are active participants in the research process.…”

“…The social world was viewed as out there to be discovered. CGT departs from this orientation and views the research process as emergent, fluid, and co-constructed between the researcher and the participant (Sebeelo, 2022).…”

Eficácia Da Mediação Laboral Obrigatória No Chile: A Utilização De Estratégias Informadas Por Terceiros

“…Dada a adaptabilidade da Grounded Theory (Creamer, 2022), ela investiga especialmente as melhores táticas de mediação empregadas pelos mediadores laborais chilenos em conflitos baseados em direitos e interesses. A técnica é qualitativa e baseia-se na Grounded Theory (Teoria Fundamentada) (Tan, 2010;Sebeelo, 2022), bem como na abordagem construtivista (Charmaz, 2000;Brandhorst et al, 2023), que fornece uma abordagem disciplinada da análise qualitativa e é um processo interpretativo interativo, onde os resultados são interpretados em diversas camadas de análise (Charmaz & Henwood, 2017;Saliya, 2023).…”

The Effectiveness of Compulsory Labor Mediation in Chile: The Use of Third Party-Informed Strategies

“…Given the adaptability of the Grounded Theory (Creamer, 2022), it especially investigates the best mediation tactics employed by Chilean labor mediators in rights and interest-based conflicts. The technique is qualitative, and it is based on Grounded Theory (Tan, 2010;Sebeelo, 2022) as well as on the constructivist approach (Charmaz, 2000;Brandhorst et al, 2023), which provides a disciplined approach to qualitative analysis and is an interactive, interpretive process where the results are interpreted in various layers of analysis (Charmaz & Henwood, 2017;Saliya, 2023).…”