Non-participative Observation in Political Research: The ‘Poor’ Relation?
| Author | Peter Moug |
| Published date | 01 June 2007 |
| Date | 01 June 2007 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9256.2007.00286.x |
| Subject Matter | The Profession |
The Profession
Non-participative Observation in
Political Research: The ‘Poor’ Relation?
Peter Moug
University of Edinburgh
Non-participative observation, a data-gathering tool where the researcher assumes the role of
observer while minimising participation, has a relatively low profile in empirical political research.
This article begins with some introductory comments on the status of non-participative observation
in political research. It then sets out the particular attributes of non-participative observation,
focusing on the practical application and utilisation of non-participative observation in empirical
political research. I show that non-participative observation can make a valuable, if particular,
contribution as a data-gathering tool in empirical political research.
Non-participative observation: the ‘poor’ relation
Too rarely do political researchers adopt the role of non-participative observer.
Other approaches to data collection, such as interviews, surveys, content analysis
and participant observation are more readily utilised. Non-participative observation
(NPO) is, I contend, a neglected data-gathering tool in political research, but
unjustifiably so, because it has particular attributes and utility. It does not deserve
its current position as the ‘poor relation’ of political research methods.
NPO is often presented as only a marginally useful data collection tool, the last
resort of the political researcher. For example, according to Peter Burnham and his
colleagues (2004, p. 232) NPO is:
‘a category which describes situations where the researcher has failed to negoti-
ate the access he or she would have liked, and so conducts the research at some
distance from the community or group under investigation. ... The role of non-
participant observer is thus often imposed on social science researchers, because
either they have failed to convince groups to allow them access, or because of the
nature of the situation in which the research is being conducted’.
Although they do not entirely dismiss it as a research method, Burnham et al.’s
statement demonstrates how NPO can be misrepresented. There is, additionally, a
tendency in political research and general social science research texts to focus on
other methods, relegating NPO to sometimes the briefest of mentions.1 It is these
propensities towards misrepresentation and neglect, rather than any fatal flaw in
the approach itself, that lie at the root of NPO’s ‘poor relation’ status in political
research.
© 2007 The Author. Journal compilation © 2007 Political Studies Association
N O N - PA R T I C I PAT I V E O B S E RVAT I O N
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Empirical political researchers, with varying degrees of emphasis, are interested in
describing, explaining, understanding and evaluating political ‘institutions, atti-
tudes and behaviour, policy making decisions and networks’ (Blaikie, 2000, p. 72;
Harrison, 2001, p. 2). Important in such endeavours is a ‘family’ of data-gathering
tools, each with an established set of attributes and applications, that researchers
can turn to when planning data collection strategies. Observation, including non-
participative approaches, can contribute to political research and therefore ought to
be recognised as a closer member of this family (Dargie, 1998, p. 66). In this article
I intend to highlight the attributes of NPO with reference to specific examples of its
(rare) practical application in political research projects. Briefly, these are Lyn
Kathlene’s (1994) research on ‘conversational dynamics’ in US state legislative
committee hearings, Emma Crewe’s (2005) anthropological study of the House of
Lords and my own current research into democratic processes in Mossbank, part of
a small Scottish town.2
What is non-participative observation?
Watching and listening to what people do and how they behave in particular
settings and situations is the foundation of all observational methods (Robson,
2002, p. 309). Observation can be discussed with reference to several...
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