The pursuit of grounded theory in agricultural and environmental regulation: a suggested approach to empirical legal study in biosecurity

Outhwaite, Opi, Black, Robert and Angela, Laycok (2007) The pursuit of grounded theory in agricultural and environmental regulation: a suggested approach to empirical legal study in biosecurity. Law and Policy, 29 (4). pp. 493-528. ISSN 0265–8240

Abstract

In the light of the current, increased interest in empirical legal studies, including the associated capacity limitations identified in the Nuffield Foundation’s Inquiry on Empirical Research in Law, and in other arenas, this article seeks to contribute to the development of empirical legal studies by presenting in detail one approach to empirical research in the field of biosecurity (border controls and associated measures to protect human, animal, and plant life and the environment). The article focuses on the particular approach of grounded theory to legal inquiry in law, on the novel aspects of this research methodology, and on the potential, as identified by the present authors, for its application to biosecurity. The article examines some of the specific processes applied in the analysis of qualitative data, collected through the application of this methodology, focusing on the insights facilitated by the mixed-method approach to analysis developed by the authors. Finally, examples of the insights gained through both the application of grounded theory and the particular approach to data analysis are presented and evaluated.

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