How to tackle variations in elite interviews

Access, strategies, and power dynamics

Bibliographic Data

ID12697256
AuthorsLantian Li (0000-0002-0753-7455, Northwestern University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume22
Issue6
Pages846-861
Publication date2021-02-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueQualitative Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1468-7941 • E-ISSN: 1741-3109
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1468794121994475
OpenAlexW3134875333
LanguageEN
Citations received25
References cited23

Existing work on elite interviewing methods falls short in two ways: first, there is no systematic comparison between the practices of interviewing different elite groups; second, most reflections are confined to Anglo-American contexts. To address these gaps, I reflect on how to tackle variations in elite interviews by analyzing my experience conducting over 150 interviews with a diverse set of elite stakeholders in a Chinese high-tech sector. I aim to make two arguments. First, the elite interviewee’s sphere of influence—national or local—is crucial to shaping interview access and power dynamics. Two distinct reference modes are compared: formal national networks and informal local connections, with university professors and government officials as gatekeepers, respectively. Second, to carve out a space for meaningful engagement with an informant, researchers need to adopt different positioning strategies according to the elite interviewee’s identity: a trustworthy, policy-oriented scholar for political elites; a neutral, non-profit stakeholder for economic elites; and, a perceptive, well-informed sociologist for professional elites

Elite · Interview · Participant observation · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Stakeholder · Work (physics · Data Analysis and Archiving · Engineering · Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare · Law · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics

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