ABSTRACT

Freedom of Information (FOI) law and process seems to, at best, have a tenuous relationship with scholarship in the social sciences. There is a sense among most sociologists, criminologists and other social scientists that FOI requests are something journalists and lawyers use. Yet official discourse and rhetoric already a matter of public record (such as speeches, policy briefs) is what these scholars use to try to understand the conduct of government. FOI laws allow citizens to request information from governments that would not otherwise be released. Few scholars have written about freedom of information in the context of research design and qualitative methods. There is no “how-to manual” for scholars preparing, submitting and analysing the results of freedom of information requests either. As we explain in the introduction to this volume, Freedom of Information and Social Science Research Design seeks to change this situation. This volume is explicitly multi-disciplinary, demonstrating how FOI can shape social science research design across sociology, criminology, political science, anthropology, journalism and education. This volume is also explicitly international, comparing FOI use in social science research design across the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada and South Africa. The goal of Freedom of Information and Social Science Research Design is to shape how critical social science scholarship is designed and conducted, and to change the way sociologists, criminologists, legal scholars, political scientists and others understand and undertake the methods of social science research.