A concept is a relevant conceptual abstraction capturing and explaining the social action in the area studied (Glaser & Strauss, 1967:23). The origin of the concepts in this study is twofold following the Straussian GT approach. They derive from governance theory on one hand, and are identified from the empirical evidence in the process of continuous comparative analysis that consists of data collection and analysis. In GT, „constant comparative method‟ (CCM) is a strategic method for generating concepts from data.
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As noted in Chapter 3, a conceptual framework for analysing residential relocation processes in a differentiated polity is missing. Therefore, the grounded theory methodology approach allowed for a conceptual framework to be systematically generated in the process of data collection and analysis in the course of the study (Miles & Huberman, 1994:17).
Concepts and the conceptual framework are in fact conceptual innovation and a contribution of the study, rather than the findings being the results of a predefined conceptual framework. The role of the GT‟s CCM was to help identify conceptual categories from empirical data (related to the residential relocation process), to link them with concepts „borrowed‟ from governance theory, and tie them both into a coherent explanation of the way the examined aspect of the social world operates (see thesis conclusion).
In order to link residential relocation practice with governance theory, the existing theoretical concept of „game‟ was used. „„Game‟ is a metaphor for ongoing, sequential chains of activity governed by both formal and informal rules, with a high degree of interactive decision making that takes place in a network environment‟ (Lynn, 1981:144). In other words, „game‟ is a concept used in governance theory to signify complex processes that play out in network environments (Rhodes, 1997).
While the concept itself is defined, its nature needs to be explored and examined in each individual case (Lowndes, 2005). The way the game develops and unfolds, the actors involved in it, and the casual links between the game and its outcomes (in essence the aims and objectives of the study) are unknown.
For this reason Grounded Theory methodology as inductive qualitative strategy was needed to identify these and generate concepts relevant to the residential relocation process from the empirical research. In order, to allow for identification of concepts from data, Grounded Theory methodology required an iterative process of data collection, coding, analysis, also called „constant comparative method‟ (CCM) (Glaser & Strauss, 1967:47). Therefore, the research design and research process are inextricably linked in Grounded Theory methodology. In fact, the research design is the research process.
To illustrate, in this research, practical concepts and categories describing relocation practice in HMR were first identified (see Chapter 6) on Pathfinder level. These were tested in the BNG case study (the respondents were invited to give their feedback on the concepts identified by the researcher). In the analysis of respondents‟ narratives the first task was to disentangle individual
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„chains of activity‟ (or individual relocation processes), to understand who was delivering them and how they each operated. The next analytical step was to bring identified „chains of activity‟
together and examine how their interplay (through the work of identified actors) shapes residential relocation experiences and outcomes on project level.
Based on the results of analysis a conceptual model was built – the „Relocation Matrix‟ (Chapter 6). This conceptual model systematises the chains of activity (or residential relocation processes) shaping relocation in HMR. The Residential Relocation Matrix is a model based on extensive empirical research and drawing on the governance concept of „game‟. In Chapters 7 and 8, it was used to identify the actors involved in the residential relocation process on Pathfinder, local authority and project levels, to map governance arrangements related to residential relocation and evaluate these in relation to residential relocation outcomes on project level. Grounded Theory as methodology allowed for flexibility in approach to exploring the way the game developed on HMR, Pathfinder and local authority levels, as well as to understanding the scale relevant to residential relocation studies, and to identify actors outside the conventional channels of communication.
In the process of research facilitated by GT, discovered empirical categories (residential relocation processes) were integrated with an existing theoretical concept from governance theory (game). In this thesis, the approach allowed for linking two fields of research that have not been linked prior to this study: residential relocation and governance theory, and to allow for examination of residential relocation process and its impact on the outcomes.
The approach facilitated conceptual innovation in relocation studies that would not have been possible using the existing and according to some authors „outdated‟ (Curley & Kleinhans, 2009) theoretical frameworks customarily used for examining relocation. Most importantly, a conceptual framework built this way presents one of the key findings of the research process (see Chapter 6,
„Relocation Matrix‟). The concept of a „game‟ examined through Grounded Theory methodology allowed the governance of relocation to be researched between the creative conceptual spaces opened by governance orthodoxy and governance sceptics (see Chapter 4). Distinctively, the approach allowed the present research to focus on residential relocation procedure and work towards devising a theoretical vehicle that shows how governance has a profound impact on relocation delivery.
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The second research objective sets out to identify the actors involved in residential relocation in HMR. This clearly suggests that the respondents for the research are not known but that they need to be discovered as a part of research exercise. Sampling in Grounded Theory methodology is not based on statistical criteria. Grounded Theory uses 'theoretical sampling': 'this is the process of data collection … whereby the analyst jointly collects, codes and analyses [her] data and decides what data to collect next and where to find them‟ (Glaser & Strauss, 1967: 45). Identification of the respondents in this study is presented latter in the chapter. Casing and „scales‟ of inquiry
Part of the challenge facing sociology is „casing‟ – the act of constructing the case as an „analytic unit‟ (Tavory & Timmermans, 2009:248). Trying to unravel the conception of the case, Ragin (1992, cited in Tavory & Timmermans, 2009:248) distinguishes two dimensions – specific versus general, and empirical units versus theoretical constructs. One of the key questions in sociology is whether the researcher explicitly uses a theory to determine the boundaries of the case, or treats the case as something produced by the social world. In this study „case‟ was treated as something produced by the social world. Establishing the „case‟ of planned demolition induced mixed tenure residential relocation is one of the findings of this study.
„Grounded theory follows the tenets of the Chicago School of ethnography where the sociological case is elicited from ethno-narratives of actors in the field: the institutionally and internationally delimited ways members in the field „case‟ their action‟ (Tavory & Timmermans, 2009:243). GT adherents observe that social life remains ordered and narrated through institutional and inter-subjective mechanisms. Following these logics, in this study the „case‟ of residential relocation delivery was defined based on the empirical data, through the interviews and correspondence with the actors in the field. In order to achieve this, empirical inquiry has been conducted with relevant respondents on four programme scales:
1. HMR (national scale) 2. Pathfinder (sub-regional) 3. Local Authority (local) 4. Project/Scheme (micro local)
The empirical inquiry showed that the scale relevant for examining HMR-induced residential relocation is a „project‟ or „scheme‟. The finding challenges the common „scales‟ of „community‟
or „neighbourhood‟ used to examine residential relocation. By development project I mean an area planned for regeneration on local authority level that is a part of wider masterplan or local
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development plan and has a planning permission. Contrary to scales such as „community‟ or
„neighbourhood‟, the boundaries of the project are clearly defined; the number of residents affected by demotion and residential relocation are known and the residential relocation support provided is based on this information.