Critical Issues in Designing Mixed Methods Policy Research

Abstract

This article argues that policy-related research needs to question the assumption that policy questions can be addressed through the use of research methods that examine the issues through one lens only. It proposes that mixed methods research designs work well when they exploit the potential to see different things, and recognize the limits and the potential that each method offers. In this regard it suggests paying particular attention to team composition, organization, and team work. Drawing on two exemplar studies of policy-related research, the article identifies key ingredients in their mixed methods research designs; the equality of status given to the different research approaches used; the importance of tailoring research questions in relation to their own epistemological and methodological assumptions; the importance of distinguishing between different forms of explanation in the process of comparing and presenting quantitative and qualitative data.