Designing Qualitative Research Projects: Notes on Theory Building, Case Selection and Field Research

González-Ocantos, Ezequiel

doi:10.4135/9781526486387.n9

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…I then conduct a plausibility probe of my argument about how some programs escaped the negative effects of accountability rules by zooming in on two pockets of effectiveness that are otherwise quite different (George and Bennett 2005, 75; González Ocantos 2020): the Bolsa Família cash transfer program and the AIDS program. Both the Bolsa Família cash transfer program (Hunter and Sugiyama 2014; Soares, Ribas, and Osório 2010; Sugiyama 2013) and the AIDS program (Flynn 2015; Galvão 2000; Lieberman 2009; Nunn 2009; Parker 2003; Rich 2019; World Bank 2004b) have been praised internationally for their capable and committed bureaucrats and for the effective use of their budgets.…”

Section: Case Selection and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outsourcing Bureaucracy to Evade Accountability: How Public Servants Build Shadow State Capacity

Rich

2022

Am Polit Sci Rev

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The solution to weak bureaucratic capacity in developing countries is often presumed to be more accountability. This paper shows how accountability initiatives, intended to reduce corruption, can actually hinder the development of capable government agencies by making it harder for directors to recruit experts and spend their budgets. It further highlights a common way public servants escape the accountability rules that limit their effectiveness: outsourcing bureaucracies to nonstate organizations. This practice of outsourcing bureaucracy to avoid accountability rules creates what I call “shadow” state capacity and, paradoxically, it may help explain “pockets of effectiveness” among government social programs in developing countries. Drawing on in-depth interviews and descriptive statistics, I show how outsourcing was a critical factor in producing two of Brazil’s most vaunted social sector programs. However, I also suggest that outsourcing bureaucracy may ultimately limit state capacity, even if it helps to build capable programs in the short run.

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Section: Case Selection and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outsourcing Bureaucracy to Evade Accountability: How Public Servants Build Shadow State Capacity

Rich

2022

Am Polit Sci Rev

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More cooperation than conflict despite no ‘Third Level’? Understanding the dynamics of paradiplomacy towards the EU in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg

Eppler,

Große Hüttmann,

Rowe

2024

Territory, Politics, Governance

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Preparing a Causal Research Design

LaPorte

2024

Doing Good Qualitative Research

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This chapter outlines the principles and practices of preparing a causal research design in qualitative research. It argues that a good causal research design is one that (1) poses a causal research question, (2) identifies what is at stake in answering this question, (3) describes the key concepts and variables, (4) offers a causal hypothesis, (5) accounts for competing explanations, (6) outlines plans for data collection and analysis, (7) plans for contingencies, and (8) discusses why the researcher is the right person to carry out this research. The chapter also considers potential challenges that researchers may encounter in designing and executing causal analyses, including the interrelated nature of the research design decisions and the need for subsequent revisions to the design in the field, and suggests practical steps that researchers can take to address these difficulties and succeed in their research.

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Designing Qualitative Research Projects: Notes on Theory Building, Case Selection and Field Research

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Outsourcing Bureaucracy to Evade Accountability: How Public Servants Build Shadow State Capacity

Outsourcing Bureaucracy to Evade Accountability: How Public Servants Build Shadow State Capacity

More cooperation than conflict despite no ‘Third Level’? Understanding the dynamics of paradiplomacy towards the EU in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg

Preparing a Causal Research Design

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