Improving the approach to conflict in action research through deliberative policy analysis: a territorial development case in the Basque Country

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on how theoretical work developed in deliberative policy analysis (DPA) can contribute to action research (AR) through a better understanding of the policy world. It is based on a programme in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country (Spain) where action researchers have been collaborating with policymakers since 2009. Our paper shows how concepts like pluralism, agonism and escalation have helped to reframe the approach to conflict in action research for territorial development (ARTD). The aim of the case is not exclusively to demonstrate how this can be done at a micro level, but also to show the usefulness of further interaction between the fields of DPA and AR, based on this experience.

KEYWORDS:

• Action research
• conflict
• deliberative policy analysis
• territorial development
• governance

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa for funding the research project this paper is based on.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Miren Larrea is Senior Researcher at Orkestra-Basque Institute of Competitiveness and lecturer at the University of Deusto (Spain), University of Agder (Norway) and National Technological University (Argentina). She leads Zubigintza, an action research lab at Orkestra where she conducts long-term AR projects with various regional governments to develop collaborative policy processes. She has published in international journals and books on topics such as action research for territorial development, governance and policy-learning.

Ainhoa Arrona is research facilitator at Orkestra-Basque Institute of Competitiveness. She has worked for several years in an action research project and currently participates on territorial development research projects in collaboration with policymakers. She wrote her thesis on collaborative policymaking and governance in regional development and innovation. Her main interests in this field focus on the policy process, policy analysis, the research-policy nexus, policy learning and governance.

ORCID

Miren Larrea http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4724-0015

Ainhoa Arrona http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8072-496X

Notes

1 See https://actionresearchplus.com/global-climate-talks-epidemiology-of-action-research-cell-change/.