Material for a session on Qualitative Data in Public Engagement during the Policy Community Conference, on February 20, 2019.

Beyond broad principles and well-known methods, the practice of policymaking requires deep insight from the public. Consultations and other forms of engagement may provide an avenue to develop such insight but only if we are able to make sense of the data they produce. This interactive session encourages participants to work through issues surrounding the collection, management, and analysis of qualitative data using examples from public engagement in the policy lifecycle.

During this workshop, we are using a dataset on Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) shared by ESDC on the Open Government Portal. The original dataset is bilingual and contains some data that we don’t need. Extracts from this dataset will be available in this repository.

Both on GCcollab and GCconnex, a dynamic Community of Practice in Public Engagement is welcoming new members who are keen on building and sharing knowledge on Public Engagement.

• Kent Aitken’s pilot report