Can Qualitative and Quantitative Methods Serve Complementary Purposes for Policy Research?: Evidence from Accra
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Qualitative and quantitative methods in social science research have long been
separate spheres with little overlap. However, recent innovations have highlighted the
complementarity of qualitative and quantitative approaches. The Accra Food and
Nutrition Security Study was designed to incorporate the participation of a variety of
constituencies in the research, and to rely on a variety of approaches—both qualitative
and quantitative—to data collection and analysis.
This paper reviews the way in which qualitative and quantitative methods were used
in the Accra study. The argument of the paper is that the complementary use of
qualitative and quantitative approaches provides a greater range of insights and
perspectives and permits triangulation or the confirmation of findings by different
methods, which improves the overall validity of results, and makes the study of greater use
to the constituencies to which it was intended to be addressed. But the search for truly
complementary methods presents substantial challenges as well. These include extra
costs, both in financial and human terms, ethical dilemmas regarding follow-up, and the
need for teamwork and respect for different methodological and epistemological positions.