Eoin Carolan (University College Dublin (UCD) - School of Law), Silvia Gagliardi (University of Oslo - Norwegian Centre for Human Rights; Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin), & Daniela Rodriguez Gutierrez (University College Dublin (UCD)) have posted How to Investigate a Constitutional Culture? The Case for the Focus Group Method in Comparative Constitutional Studies on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
This article makes the case for the use of focus groups as a method with particular relevance to the field of comparative constitutional studies. The article begins with a brief overview of the most common approaches to accounts of constitutional culture. It then explains how the focus group method mayin theoryaddress some of the limitations of these techniques. By contrast with quantitatively-oriented techniques, focus groups offer a context-sensitive, participantdriven and in-depth insights into how ordinary citizens understand, think about and discuss constitutional issues. This, it is argued, provides novel and valuable information about the functional and sociological value of constitutions, as hypothesised in much of the recent literature on social imaginaries and sociological constitutionalism. Having made the theoretical case for the method, the article deals in its final sections with the authors' experience in making use of this method. It identifies the challenges and limitations that may arise when applying the method to constitutional questions and offers conclusions and guidance on its potential utility for future research in the area.
