ABSTRACT
Health and social care governance confront 'wicked problems.' This chapter argues that the challenges call for innovative ways of organizing research, serving not only as a description and explanation of given circumstances, but also as a tool for solving wicked problems. A methodological framework of action research delivers such a tool. It is based on a pragmatist philosophy and methodology, where the same people are both producing and applying knowledge, and indeed the production and application processes are also combined. The chapter explores the meta-theoretical inconsistancies of action research (AR), attempting to use the mutually exclusive approaches of pragmatism, critical theory and constructivism. These inconsistencies are illustrated by tensions and dillemas encountered by researchers in the area of health and social services. The philosophical and theoretical traditions important for the AR community seem to be especially important and fruitful for the exploration of tensions within AR.
