A multi-methodological framework combining text mining and causal mapping to engage experts, policymakers, and stakeholders in policy design

Abuabara, Leila, Paucar-Caceres, Alberto ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4690-561X and Werner-Masters, Katarzyna ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4874-516X (2025) A multi-methodological framework combining text mining and causal mapping to engage experts, policymakers, and stakeholders in policy design. Journal of the Operational Research Society. ISSN 0160-5682

Preview

Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

Views of experts in a particular field of knowledge are pivotal in shaping the outcomes of public policies. When designing policies, policymakers and stakeholders often struggle to incorporate the views of both experts and those affected by policy implementation. The complexity and volume of data stored from public interviews with experts make it difficult for policymakers to structure themes that could be fully understood and translated into public policy design/implementation. This paper addresses this problem, advancing a multi-methodology framework to facilitate the dialogue between experts, stakeholders, and policymakers. Combining text mining and causal mapping, two (quantitative and qualitative) methods from different paradigms, the proposed methodology aims to overcome the challenge of translating experts’ views into clear themes and patterns that can be embedded into policies. Using a set of media interviews concerning literacy problems in Brazil, the paper demonstrates the framework’s value in linking experts and policymakers. Findings suggest that policymakers could be guided by a list of key themes to bring into focus the main concerns of those potentially affected by the policies. By proposing and testing a novel framework and illustrating, the paper contributes to public policy design and the debate about multi-methodological practice in Operational Research.