Example of Q methodology: Democratic views of public managers

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Example of Q methodologyDemocratic views of
public managers

• Stephen Jeffares
• 12th November 2008

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Introduction Governance networks, public
managers and democracy

• Public managers increased agency in democratic
  design and operation of networks
• Research design to explore the tacit democratic
  inter-subjectivities of public managers

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???
How do you consider democracy when working in
networks?
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Research Questions

• do PM think that networks, partnerships and other
  extra-representative forms offer a way of
  enhancing democracy by including citizens and
  special interests that would otherwise be
  excluded from the policy process?
• Or do public managers, drawing on their
  traditional role as servants of elected
  politicians, regard them as incompatible with the
  principle of the primacy of politics?
• To what extent do these subjectivities reflect
  the different democratic milieu within which
  managers work?

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Step 1 Interpreting the concourse

• The flow of communicability surrounding a topic
  (Brown 1992) the volume of debate

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Interpreting concourse

• Naturalistic focus groups, interviews
• Secondary
• Ready made (pre-owned)
• Example Secondary (published studies and
  discussion/ interview transcripts)
• 250 statements

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Q Sample - Example
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(No Transcript)
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Brown 2007
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P Sample and Sort

• Trialled face to face with academics in Roskilde,
  UWE Bristol Erasmus
• Public Management (enrolled as part time on
  public management students based at
  Universities of Birmingham, Erasmus and Roskilde)
• Sent link via email
• 36 statements plus follow up questions took 20-25
  minutes to complete
• Analysis here based on 43 23 Dutch and 20 UK
• Currently repeating with 2008 intake

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Delivery of Sort

• Interview Recorded talk me through your
  reasons
• Sorting booth at conferences
• On mass classroom, meeting room
• Online Solitaire style sorting

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FlashQ

• Developed by Christian Hackert in 2007
• Freeware, download files and configure HTML file
• 30-45 minutes to configure
• Requires server to host
• Results stored on server and email backup
• Offers opportunity for additional demographic
  questions and qualitative responses

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Analysis Results

• Factor analysis computer aided
• Freeware or PCQ programme
• Different forms of rotation
• Rotate to find best solution 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
• Participants load onto factors
• Judgement of best solution - where factors are
  discrete with no counfounded loadings
  (significant on more than one)

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Analysis Results - Example

• Results analysed using PCQ for Windows (400US)
• 7 factor solution

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Interpretation process

• In the interpretation of the factors we
  concentrated on the most agreeable and
  disagreeable statements for each factor.
• We started by pasting these statements into a
  simple two by two grid of preferences which
  indicate how this factor views the situation is
  and isnt and normatively how this factor thinks
  the situation ought and oughtnt to be.
• We then drew upon the written comments - mainly
  their reasoning for their two most extreme
  agree/disagree statements.
• Once we began to get an impression of the seven
  factors we explored on what statements they
  differed and where there was broad consensus.

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(No Transcript)
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Item scores
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Example of Factor
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Interpretation process - sources

• Factor as an actor personality of factor
• (is- isnt should shouldnt of 3and-3)
• 5 and -5 rationale (Qualitative)
• Demographic info on significant loaders

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Findings

• First incarnation trying understand 7
• Found weakest factor did not make sense
• Interpretation Discourse 1 (a,b,c,d)
  Discourse 2 (a b).

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1A Inclusive Enhanced Debate
1B New found flexibility
2A Instruments of Conflict and Congestion
Discourse 1 New forms of democracy
Discourse 2 Representative Anchorage
1D Robust debate in equal forums based on trust
1C Getting things done in correction to past
failures
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1A Networks help to open up policy making to
groups who would otherwise not have a voice (S36)
1B Networks should have a flexible approach to
problem solving (S19).
2A NOT Everyone in a network should be able to
have their say in whatever way they think is best
(S24).
Discourse 1 Networks can help new forms of
democracy to develop (S12).
Discourse 2 Representative democracy should be
the main way of making public policy decisions
(S10).
1D Everyone in a network should be able to have
their say in whatever way they think is best
(S24).
1C The public are concerned with what networks
achieve, not how they make decisions (S13).
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1A Networks help to open up policy making to
groups who would otherwise not have a voice (S36)
1B Networks should have a flexible approach to
problem solving (S19).
2A Conflict is inevitable in networks (S18).
Discourse 1 Networks can help new forms of
democracy to develop (S12).
Discourse 2 Representative democracy should be
the main way of making public policy decisions
(S10).
1D Everyone in a network should be able to have
their say in whatever way they think is best
(S24).
1C The public are concerned with what networks
achieve, not how they make decisions (S13).
Politicians are committed to the wider public
interest (S29).
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1A Networks help to open up policy making to
groups who would otherwise not have a voice (S36)
1B Networks should have a flexible approach to
problem solving (S19).
2A Conflict is inevitable in networks (S18).
The value of networks is that they cut through
the usual red tape (S6).
Discourse 1 Networks can help new forms of
democracy to develop (S12).
Discourse 2 Representative democracy should be
the main way of making public policy decisions
(S10).
1D Everyone in a network should be able to have
their say in whatever way they think is best
(S24).
1C The public are concerned with what networks
achieve, not how they make decisions (S13).
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1A Networks help to open up policy making to
groups who would otherwise not have a voice (S36)
1B Networks should have a flexible approach to
problem solving (S19).
2A Conflict is inevitable in networks (S18).
Building trust is the key to a successful network
(S30).
Discourse 1 Networks can help new forms of
democracy to develop (S12).
Discourse 2 Representative democracy should be
the main way of making public policy decisions
(S10).
1D Everyone in a network should be able to have
their say in whatever way they think is best
(S24).
1C The public are concerned with what networks
achieve, not how they make decisions (S13).