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This paper is the first in MDRC's series on research
methodology to examine the use of ethnographic interviews, focus groups,
and other intensive qualitative methods in social policy research. Based
on interviews with senior staff at MDRC and using four major MDRC projects
as case studies, it highlights the unique contributions that qualitative
methods can make to efforts to understand the effects of social programs
and discusses the challenges of integrating qualitative research into the
design, analysis, and presentation of social policy evaluations. Itself
an example of illuminating qualitative research, this review of MDRC's experiences
culminates in specific guidelines for getting the most out of qualitative
methods.
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