Those who have access to the numbers tend to have little regard for non-quantitative analysis, and qualitative researchers feel that those who do have numbers are conjuring with them. Cycles of influence play a role here as well. During the economic cycle, there has been a wealth of current economic data available. Unemployment statistics are released from surveys barely four days old, but data from the social surveys may be three, four years old before it is available. The final barrier is the issue of qualitative versus quantitative analysis.
Quantitative researchers have little respect for qualitative analysis and vice versa.
This is perhaps one barrier that is starting to go away, and analytical software has played an important role here. The PRI supports five crosscutting, horizontal research teams. These two initiatives are among the most positive things I have seen in multidisciplinary research involving government for a long time, and they are really starting to pick up steam. They are asking whether that receptor capacity is working in government and how they can enhance it. They are looking at ways to increase the communication between the producers and users of research.