Doing health policy research: how to interview policy elites

Public health and policy scholars often source data from interviews with policy elites—individuals who exercise considerable influence in the development of health policy and the institutional cultures in which decision making take place. Yet conceptualizing, designing, and conducting interviews can pose a challenging task for the researcher intending to apply this method. This chapter draws upon scholarship on the topic and the authors’ own experiences to provide a step-by-step guide to conceptualizing, designing, and conducting interviews with policy elites. Steps include the relevance of research questions and study objectives; sampling strategy and addressing error; recruitment and participant management; structuring interviews and asking the right questions; validity and reliability; practical tips for before, during, and after the interview; and technical considerations. Although applying an approach for semistructured or exploratory interview designs, many of the lessons from this chapter will also be applicable to more structured interviews.