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On this episode of the AEI Events Podcast, a panel from the American Family Diaries Working Group presented on their new paper, “American Family Diaries: An Ethnographic Approach to Understanding Barriers to Opportunity.” The panelists discussed the logistics of ethnographic research and the ways in which it differs from traditional qualitative studies. Rather than presenting a list of preset questions for participants to answer, ethnographic researchers seek to understand the motivations, behaviors, and challenges that the interviewees face through in-depth interviews.
The American Family Diaries research team chose to focus their research on able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDS). These individuals receive little government welfare and are significantly understudied. The panelists hope to use ethnographic research methods to better understand the barriers to work that are keeping so many ABAWDS in poverty and out of the labor force.
Both panelists and audience members addressed the limitations of ethnography and encouraged researchers to rely on several forms of data when drawing conclusions. However, powerful, firsthand accounts from Jennifer Silva, a professor at Bucknell University, reminded everyone of the value that ethnographic methods can add to the research conversation and the importance of getting to know the stories behind the statistics.
This event took place on June 25, 2018.
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I listened with great interest to this and wanted to make one comment: the confusion as to why poor people do not pursue such rational actions as finishing high school or going to community college or changing day care — instrumental rationality, and decision making with clear distinct options and consequences is not inherent; it is taught. not everyone or every family models or teaches it; in addition, decisions with momentous consequences are often made by young people in emotionally unstable periods. Why does anyone do something stupid? bad choices are usually over-determined, and the better options may not be as clear as they seem from the outside.