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AnaLogiQual 2008
Software for qualitative analysis : Social and technical innovations

Open source development as a stimulus for innovation in qualitative data analysis software

Alex Fenton

“Open-source” has been the most significant development in the social and economic organisation of software production in the past ten to fifteen years. As well as reducing (typically, to nil) the price to the end-user, it is claimed that various models of open-source increase software quality and stimulate innovation. This paper examines whether open-source as a model for developing software for qualitative data analysis in the social sciences has, or is likely to, act as a stimulus to innovation. There are a number of reasons for thinking this might be so: increased usage of such software by researchers leading to greater methodological reflection, and the possibility of third-party implementation of new features.
The paper draws upon three case-studies, Weft QDA, Transana and Transcriber, and compares the supply of and demand for such software with that for other noted open-source products. The conclusion is that the nature of the “market” - in particular, the difficulty for non-programmers to contribute directly to development - for such software means that a pure open-source model is in fact unlikely to provide a significant new source of innovation.

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Editor : Ishs-Ulg, 2008
Supported by Fonds National de la Recherche (Luxembourg) and
Association pour la Recherche Qualitative (Quebec)
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