Methodology of the qualitative component

5.3.1 Justification of the method and the conceptual framework

The implication of qualitative methods emerged from the holistic approach of this research to obtain in-depth understanding of complex structures, processes and interactions through the practitioners’ rich experiences (Getz, 1983; Gilmore, 1996). Qualitative research study things in their natural settings using a set of interpretative practices that transform the world into a series of representations such as field notes, interviews, conversations, photographs or recordings in order to understand and interpret a phenomena through the meanings that people bring to them (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005). While quantitative research represents a perspective which implies that social research is static and external to the observer, the same reality in qualitative research is procedural, socially constructed and interpreted in a multiple way (Bryman, 1988). The principal objective of qualitative research is therefore to show how people being studied understand and interpret their social reality.

Ritchie (2003) presented features of the phenomena under investigation that determine the usage of qualitative methods as an independent mode of research enquiry. These features also indicate that the phenomena are not suitable for analysis in structured surveys. Considering that the focus of this component of the thesis is on central-local relations, these features match the objectives of the component in that (1) the aim is to provide a deeper understanding of the subject matter; (2) the phenomena is complex; (3) the phenomena is deeply set within the participants’ personal knowledge and activity; (4) the study concerns the collection of information from individuals or groups that have a singular or highly specialised role in society and aims to describe the phenomena from the vantage of their specific positions; (5) the subject is fragile or abstract in its manifestation, and lastly, (6) the topic involves sensitive matters, values or sometimes conflicts which is likely to generate an emotional response at a varying level depending on the sensitivity of the topic.

Reflecting on the six points presented above, the first objective of the thesis is to explore rural governance principles as critical factors influencing the directions of local development, by analysing patterns of its implementation process and thereby identifying factors that influence organisational performance. These two methods suggest that the

aim is to obtain deeper understanding of the constituting concepts (integration, participation and empowerment) under scrutiny (1); Rural governance is a complex process because it simultaneously builds vertical and horizontal integration of sectors and actors (Panyik, et al., 2011) (2). Furthermore, it is developed bottom-up and shaped continuously by its highly committed participants lead by experts of local development (3, 4) and, as presented in Chapter 2, due to the fundamental contradiction between the exercise of top-down power and the essentially bottom-up nature of governance, it is a source of conflicting issues and sensitive matters of empowerment (5, 6).

In order to guide the empirical analysis on mapping the implementation of rural governance principles, a conceptual framework was developed based on the literature. As mentioned earlier in Section 5.2.4, there are general constructs and social labels – so called intellectual ‘bins’, that come from theory, experience and often from the general objectives of the study –, which guide the research process not only of hypothetico- deductive research designs but also of inductive approaches (Miles & Huberman, 1994). ‘Setting out bins, naming them, and getting clearer about their interrelationships leads to a conceptual framework’, which then ‘explains the main things to be studied – the key factors, constructs or variables – and the presumed relationships between them’ (Miles & Huberman, 1994; p.18).

With regard to the research questions, the conceptual framework defined the structure of the empirical analysis and further specified the research objectives. In particular, as presented in Figure 5.4, the conceptual building blocks of rural governance were broken down into constituting elements, which allowed for the systematic analysis of rural governance through the empirical manifestations of those elements. The three-fold conceptualisation is based on Storey (1999), and the interpretation of empowerment further draws on Stoker’s (1998) five propositions of governance theory. The empirical manifestations of the constituting concepts were developed based on the prominent, EU- wide LEADER network of rural governance.

As can be seen in Figure 5.4, integration is interpreted as stakeholder and sectoral integration, reflecting the vertical and horizontal dimensions of rural governance (Panyik, et al., 2011). Stakeholder integration is examined through the establishment of the local LEADER organisations, in particular the organisational structure, relationships and dynamics of the LAGs. Sectoral integration is explored through the cross-sectoral

strategies as part of the LAGs’ project generation activity. Participation is interpreted as the involvement of local people in the process of formulating development strategies for their own areas (Storey, 1999) and analysed in the context of the LAGs’ planning process. Lastly, empowerment refers to the transfer of power to the local level, manifesting in the formation of vertical (hierarchical) relationships, the distribution of decision-making competences and subsequently the evolving power dependencies. Defined as the capacity of the local actors involved to act (Stoker, 1998; Storey, 1999), it is explored through the key activities of the LAGs: project tendering, appraisal and selection.

Under the guidance of the conceptual framework, a field research was designed and applied in a key-informant approach. The decomposition of the principal concepts resulted in constituent elements that are approachable empirically, the examination of which provided information on the influence of the constituents on organisational performance of the LAGs and thereby on the directions of local development. Hence, the conceptual framework not only guided the mapping process but further specified the emerging patterns of rural governance principles, which are summarised in Figure 5.5.

Considering that the analysis draws on local experiences, the qualitative methodology applied here is consistent with a number of studies from the tourism policy literature focusing on local planning (Burns & Sancho, 2003; Tosun, 2006; Yuksel, Bramwell, & Yuksel, 1999) policy making (Stevenson, Airey & Miller, 2008) and organisational structures (Saxena & Ilbery, 2008; Dredge, 2006), as well as with studies from the rural governance literature exploring local involvement through state-community relations (MacKinnon, 2002) and decision-making in local policy arenas (Connelly, Richardson & Miles, 2006).

As such, the methodological design reflects some of the key characteristics of applied- policy research (Haas & Springer, 1998; Majchrzak, 1984). Specifically, it is concerned with policy-manipulable factors, i.e. focuses on those aspects of a social phenomenon that are open to policy-level influence and intervention; it is actionable research, which provides decision-makers with pragmatic recommendations and thus can be used as the basis for action and lastly, it explicitly incorporates, and is driven by, numerous – and sometimes conflicting – values of the stakeholder groups.

Figure 5.4: Conceptual framework for the analysis of rural governance through the empirical manifestations of integration, participation and empowerment

5.3.2 The historical-organisational context

In the previous section it was presented that a conceptual framework was designed as the first step to guide the empirical analysis of rural governance through the LEADER Programme. Since the aim was to collect primary data in a key-informant approach, the choice on the local LAG management as the research population was plausible. The

COMPONENT CONCEPTUAL

DEFINITION

INTEGRATION

Stakeholder integration: Involving all interested parties, governmental and non-governmental, in devising and implementing of strategies (Storey, 1999) Sectoral integration: Integration of activities (Storey, 1999)

EMPIRICAL MANIFESTATION OF THE CONCEPTS