Although the policy network approach has moved to the forefront of the
debates around the formulation and development of policy, there is a
paucity of methodological and reflexive literature which explores how
policy networks and the actors within these arenas are actually studied.
Researching powerful individuals within such networks generates a
unique set of dilemmas and complexities for the researcher. Drawing on
my experiences of researching the policy networks involved in the development
of prison drugs policy, this paper provides a methodological and
reflexive account of the key processes and issues involved in my research.
In particular, it explores the political dimensions of the research problem
and the importance of switching the research gaze from the ‘objects’ of
policy to those who are in the powerful positions of ‘making’ policy. In
order to understand the interactions within the policy process, it is
argued that the qualitative approach offers distinct advantages in studying
policy networks. The paper examines my attempts to uncover and
understand the role and influence of policy networks in the development
of prison drugs policy and the ways in which I grappled with the dilemmas
of access, knowledge and power which emerged during the course of
the fieldwork. Although the importance of transparent methodologies
and reflexivity are highlighted, the paper concludes by suggesting that
the resistance on the part of researchers to providing such accounts is
related to the pressures and constraints of the current academic climate.