Research Methods

The fieldwork process was guided and influenced by the research methods which, as previously mentioned, consisted of a mixed methods approach. Data for the thesis was therefore gathered by scrupulously examining statistical and administrative documents, semi-structured elite interviews, and secondary data sources. Similarly it was noted that the thesis focused on the periods when the Government of Barbados sought funding from both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the form of stabilisation and structural adjustment loans, and the World Bank in the form of project funding for the education sector. Focusing on these areas resulted in the research being located between the 1970s and the mid 1990s, and, therefore, most of the data collected is, by and large, archival material from this period. The rationale for the selection of each of these methods is outlined below.

96 Public Administrative Documents and Statistics

The key indicators for measuring changes in the financial allocation to the education sector, as well as the factors influencing this change, namely neoliberal policy prescriptions, were primarily investigated through the scrutiny of policy documents, government budgetary estimates of expenditure, Hansard (Parliamentary) Reports and official administrative files. Policy documents included national and strategic development plans and education sector development plans. They provided enlightening information on the government's aims, objectives, its rationale and expectation of the policy prescription and its intended role in the development process.

Documents such as official administrative files, whose minutes and memoranda tracked the trajectory of the policy from its conceptualisation to implementation and evaluation, provided a helpful background and gave a historical context to the education projects and the periods under review. Between the pages of these files the themes of contest, conflict and consensus emerged as the government, the trade unions, the IMF and the World Bank either interacted, clashed, crossed swords, agreed, disagreed and interfaced at different points in time; all of this in the course of arriving at mutually accepted programmes. These sources gave explanations of the changes that occurred within the policy process, and why some views got the green light and were incorporated, and why others did not sit well with the IFIs and were rejected. These documents (file minutes, memoranda and correspondence) satisfied the dual purpose of not only detailing much insight into the workings of government and revealing worthwhile information, but also served to signpost other relevant documents, key personnel and events. The administrative files were particularly useful in identifying potential interviewees outside of the ones initially considered, and for highlighting key aspects, such as the role of the unions, that

97 narrowed the research focus. They, however, because of their bureaucratic structure, were not explicitly revealing but acted as supporting evidence to validate some important claims made later by the interviewees.

Additionally, documents such as the annual estimates of expenditure were used to evaluate the allocation of financial resources to the education sector and its subdivisions. Of particular importance were the individual budgetary provisions which accompany the annual estimates of expenditure, since these consist of the justification and policy rationales for the allocation of resources, and as such they provided valuable knowledge for the analysis.

Data was also obtained from the 1980s and 1990s Barbados Population and Housing Censuses. The census statistics provided information on the societal changes within the wider country as they related to educational achievements, employment and occupation status. This allowed for an analysis of the correlation between the government's adoption of social democratic welfare state policies and the social changes witnessed with the rise of a rapidly growing middle class.

The Hansard Reports supplied a wealth of information and gave absorbing revelation into key parliamentary debates over the three decades. Debates and contributions from the government's side as well as from its parliamentary opponents not only guided the interview questions and discussion but also helped to fill the lacuna that existed between enunciated policy decisions and subsequent changes. The reports also offered critical dates with regard to the industrial action taken by the teachers' unions and, therefore, identified specific periods on which to focus when the teachers unions’ annual reports and files were being reviewed.

Likewise, as with the Hansard Reports, the Barbados Union of Teachers annual general meeting reports and other news accounts published by the union, served as a veritable treasure trove of

98 information. Whereas Hansard and other policy documents, such as the national development plans, provided subtle hints of conflict with the IFIs and reflected an awareness of its intended audience, the unions’ reports gave detailed and vivid accounts of the sheer variance that existed at times between the government and the IFIs on one hand, and on the other between the unions and the IFIs, and the unions and the government. It should be noted, however, that unfortunately during the data collection process, the other teachers' union, the Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union (BSTU), was unable to provide documented accounts of this period since access to its archival data was restricted because restorative work was being carried out on its library. Nonetheless, information regarding the BSTU was secured through interviews with past and present executive members of that union. In addition to this, the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), unlike the Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union (BSTU), has more members on its books, and it represents teachers from both primary and secondary schools on the island.

Secondary Analysis

Regional and international sources also acted as a rich source of additional data. Organisations such as the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) and the United National Development Programme (UNDP) made available very relevant economic and financial data. Of particular significance and use were the World Bank loan agreements, its staff appraisal reports and project completion reports which first drew attention to the role of the teachers' unions in acting as a countervailing pressure group. In fact, as we shall see, they were frequently regarded by the Bank as inhibitors to the implementation of austerity programmes. A similar view was articulated by the IMF, whose Article IV Consultation Reports and loan agreements offered the IFI’s policy perspective which

99 often clashed with that of the Barbados government and the trade unions. The documents produced by both the IMF and the World Bank were used to highlight the strategies adopted by these institutions to impose neoliberal ideology on their borrowing member states.

Semi- Structure Elite Interviews

Additional data was collected through elite interviews. These were conducted to clarify and corroborate (or, for that matter, contradict) much of the information obtained from the relevant documents, and provided a better understanding of how the government’s policies, programmes and projects were agreed upon or challenged; and also how they were accepted or rejected at the post-design/pre-implementation stages. According to Desai and Potter (2006: 5), elite interviews provide the opportunity 'to examine processes, motivations and reasons for the successes and failures of government policies'. Furthermore, Pierce (2008) informs us that triangulation can be achieved through the process of elite interviews by 'dialoguing with the subject's opposite member, shadow or parliamentary pair' (Pierce 2008: 184).

The list of elite interviewees included senior government officials, with meticulous attention paid to gleaning as much information from the political top-brass and other ministers, since according to the Ministry of Education and the Cabinet Office in speaking about policy formation, 'the Minister determines the overall policy' (Ministry of Education 2001: 2) and this makes him/her a key person to rationalise and explicate policy decisions. Therefore, interviews were secured with a former Prime Minister, a current minister, a parliamentary secretary and a senator. Incidentally, three of these politicians were previously executive members of the Barbados Union of Teachers, with two of them being former presidents, thus confirming Lewis and Nurse (1994), as

100 well as Kiely's (1996) view, on the close relationship between unions and the political directorate in the Caribbean.

In addition to the political directorate, the ministries' key personnel, who were charged with implementing and also influencing policy reforms, were interviewed. These persons included retired senior civil servants, permanent secretaries, chief education officers and senior officials from within the Prime Minister's Office. Other elite interviewees consisted of union officials from both teachers' unions who served as presidents and members of the executive body. As indicated, most of these persons are retired or, as the case may be, have bowed out of active politics, which made them more accessible and amenable to frank discussion. It also meant that the interviews contained frank and honest accounts of the negotiations with the IMF and World Bank. While willing to disclose information, some interviewees stipulated that they did not want certain comments attributed to them, especially since the interviews were conducted in a tension- filled and heightened political climate as the general elections were on the cards for early 2013 and political campaigning was rife.

4.4 Conclusion

This chapter outlined the research process undertaken in an attempt to address the research problem which asked: what are the factors and forces which have sustained the social democratic welfare state development model in Barbados despite changes in the global economy which favour neoliberal policies promoted by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund? After careful consideration it was determined that the model's sustainability would be best addressed through an assessment of the government's financial allocation to the education sector particularly during periods of external pressure from the World Bank and the IMF. This resulted

101 in three World Bank education project loans, which spanned the period from 1974 – 1994, being assessed along with three stabilisation and structural adjustment loans from the International Monetary Fund that were provided during this period. Therefore a mixed methods approach comprising both qualitative and quantitative research methods was adopted, which included semi-structured elite interviews, documentary evidence, statistical data and secondary literature.

The research data was gathered over a period of nine months after which it was analysed using thematic content analysis. The analysis and discussion of this data is presented in the following chapters (Chapters 5, 6 and 7).

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