Qualitative research, deliberative inquiry and policy making

Qualitative research and deliberative methods are increasingly being drawn upon to make citizen voices audible within policy debates. Qualitative research methods contribute to this by privileging the role of local contexts and cultures in shaping meanings and interpretations, focusing on the perspectives and experiences of participants to better understand their worlds. Deliberative methods involve a different process, with participants debating amongst themselves the merits of particular arguments and perspectives, and putting forth their own recommendations to inform policy making. The complex relationships between qualitative research, deliberative inquiry and policy making was the focus of the second of the Qualiti Commissioned Inquiries, chaired by Gareth Rees (Evans et al. forthcoming), findings from which are drawn upon in this paper.