Enlisting the gatekeeper: chain-referral and elite access in foreign policy analysis

Mendez, Alvaro ORCID: 0000-0002-0919-5081 (2020) Enlisting the gatekeeper: chain-referral and elite access in foreign policy analysis. SAGE Research Methods Cases.

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Abstract

How can ordinary journalistic and academic researchers, young doctoral candidates in particular, get past the gatekeepers and access the exclusive world of elite policy-makers and top executives for purposes of interviewing? This is the question this case study will address. The author found that non-random “snowball sampling” or chain-referral can begin with the gatekeepers, who themselves give access to elite interviewees. In the context of a process tracing study, this is a potent methodology. In short, the key to getting “snowball access” rolling is the interpersonal relationships that the researcher should establish with the first few persons who grant an interview.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://methods.sagepub.com/Cases
Divisions:	International Relations
Subjects:	J Political Science J Political Science > JZ International relations
Date Deposited:	09 Jan 2020 11:39
Last Modified:	30 Sep 2025 23:19
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/103025

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