BIO
I work in the Business School at the Auckland University of Technology, where I teach at the intersection of business, society and public policy. From 2013-2016 I led a research project exploring New Zealanders’ attitudes to economic inequalities. The project used Q-methodology (a statement sorting exercise supported by an in-depth interview) alongside deliberative focus groups to generate an in-depth understanding of how New Zealanders made sense of the complexities of this contested issue. The project demonstrated the strength of “market realism” in shaping New Zealanders’ attitudes and behavior: even those people with a strong preference for greater equality were easily convinced that those preferences were not achievable given the supposed realities of market forces. After the completion of this project, I partnered with a number of civil society groups to explore the “frames” that are most effective in shifting public attitudes towards inequality.
ARTEFACT