Developing Grounded Theory Systematic Approach for Public Policy Researches

Abstract

This paper seeks to facilitate the use of grounded theory (GT) methodology by novice researchers and PhD students of public policy discipline. The GT is widely used in social sciences research. This methodology has different variations, while Strauss and Corbin’s systematic approach is more pragmatic than others due to the introduction of a staged process known as axial coding. Regarding the fact that applying this method is largely dependent on the context of the research area, the main question is, what would be the elements of a systematic approach specifically customized for the public policy research domain? This paper is an analytical review of the research literature in 3 areas: variants of grounded theory approaches, soft systems models in social science, and public policy subsystem elements. This research suggests the use of 6 categories of context and discourse, content and ideas, participants, structure, policy process, and outputs and effects as a substitute for the three categories of Strauss and Corbin’s axial coding paradigm of GT.