The relationship between outside researchers and the people inside the setting being researched is examined in this volume. The authors consider not only the relationship between insiders and outsiders but also the implications for the quality of knowledge gained from such research. The book begins with an analysis of the theoretical bases of insider//outsider research. It goes on to provide a primer on conducting such research, and present a detailed example of insider//outsider collaboration. Finally, the practical challenges inherent to this sort of research are examined.

This volume recognises how many researchers across the social sciences, and in comparative and international education in particular, see themselves as insiders or outsiders or, more pertinently, shifting combinations of both, in the research process. The book revisits and problematises these concepts in an era where the global mobility of researchers and ideas has increased dramatically, and when advances in comparative, qualitative research methodologies seek to be more inclusive, collaborative, participatory, reflexive and nuanced. Collectively, the chapters argue that, in the context of such change, it has become more difficult to categorise and label groups and individuals as being ‘inside’ or ‘outside’ systems, professional communities, or research environments. In doing so, it is recognised that individual and group identities can be multiple, flexible and changing such that the boundary between the inside and the outside is permeable, less stable and less easy to draw. The book draws upon an exciting collection of original research carried out in a diversity of educational systems from British, European, Latin American, Indian Ocean, South Asian, African and Chinese contexts and cultures. This develops a deep and innovative reconsideration of key issues that must be faced by all researchers involved in the planning and conduct of in-depth field research. This is a challenging and stimulating methodological contribution, designed to advance critical and reflective thinking while providing practical and accessible guidance, insights and support for new and experienced researchers within and beyond the field of comparative and international education.

Insider-Outsider Research in Qualitative Inquiry: New Perspectives on Method and Meaning explores the history, practice and particular benefits of conducting cultural research through a partnership of two researchers: one who is an insider to the culture under study and one who is an outsider. This book unpacks terminology around this type of research that has become outdated or cumbersome, looks at ethical issues and suggests specific methodological approaches. It also locates insider-outsider research, which is by its nature qualitative, in the wider research landscape. The authors specifically describe a researcher partnership, a relationship more intimate and fruitful than a team, much greater than the sum of its parts. Through their own nearly twenty-year research partnership and study of the Israeli Druze, the authors have developed mutual trust that has led to new depths of insight in understanding cultural codes and the meanings they embody. This, and the methods they use, will be illustrated through examples of some of their studies with the Israeli Druze. A highly accessible guide, this book will be of interest to ethnographers and other qualitative researchers, both graduate students and researchers of all levels of experience.

What explains differences in the lobbying behaviour of interest groups? And what consequences do these differences have for the access that interest groups can gain to decision-makers and the influence that they can exert on policy outcomes? Building on an unprecedented amount of empirical evidence on lobbying in Europe, this book puts forward a distinction between lobbying insiders and lobbying outsiders. Lobbying insiders, most prominently business interests, try to establish direct contacts with decision-makers, enjoy good access to executive institutions, and manage to shape policy outcomes when mobilizing the public on an issue is difficult. Lobbying outsiders, in particular citizen groups such as consumer, environmental or health non-governmental organizations, put greater emphasis on mobilizing the public or changing public attitudes, find it easier to gain access to legislative decision-makers, and have the greatest impact on outcomes on issues that are amenable to an outside lobbying campaign. The book shows that a single argument, building on group type as the main variable, can explain variation across interest groups in their choice of strategy, their access to decision-makers, and the conditions under which they can exert influence. The existence of lobbying insiders and lobbying outsiders has important implications for both our understanding of political decision-making and the normative appraisal of contemporary democracy.

There are a range of roles that can be played by ethnographers in field research. The choice of role will affect the type of information available to the researcher and the kind of ethnography written. The authors discuss the problems and advantages at each level of involvement and give examples of modern ethnographic studies.

The first edition of The Action Research Dissertation: A Guide for Students and Faculty was a first-of-its-kind reference, distilling the authors’ decades of action research experience into a handy guide for graduate students. The Second Edition continues to provide an accessible roadmap that honors the complexity of action research, while providing an overview of how action research is defined, its traditions and history, and the rationale for using it. Authors Kathryn Herr and Gary L. Anderson demonstrate that action research is not only appropriate for a dissertation, but also is a deeply rewarding experience for both the researcher and participants. This practical book demonstrates how action research dissertations are different from more traditional dissertations and prepares students and their committees for the unique dilemmas they may face, such as validity, positionality, design, write-up, ethics, and dissertation defense.