ABSTRACT
An interpretive analysis is important to identify narratives, gaps, and trends, and to provide alternative explanations for policy change and implementation outcomes. This chapter highlights two post-positivist theories – social construction and critical theory – which are concerned with the discourse, rhetoric, and story lines in the policy-making and implementation processes in the emergency and disaster management context. Researchers use qualitative methods, primarily coding of documents including plans, policies, reports, and interviews, to complete an interpretive analysis. Following a discussion of the advantages and challenges of applying a qualitative methodological approach to language-based data, the chapter details how to conduct a content analysis, report the findings, and discuss limitations. The chapter concludes with further readings.
