SOCIAL MARKETING AND MARTIN - TOOLS FOR ORGANIZING, ANALYZING, AND INTERPRETING QUALITATIVE DATA

The purpose of this article is to discuss how the computer software pr ogram MARTIN and social marketing concepts (understanding the consumer perspective, exchange, marketing mix, and segmentation) were used as organizational, analytical, and interpretive tools for qualitative dat a. The qualitative data are from a case study on citizen participation in a health reform policy in British Columbia. The concept of broad-b ased public participation is a fundamental element of health promotion and citizenship. There is a gap, however, between the promise and rea lity of citizen participation in health promotion. Emerging from the a nalysis was an understanding of the societal circumstances that inhibi ted or fostered participation. This article describes how the code-bas ed, theory-building attributes oft he MARTIN software facilitated a ne w conceptualization of participatory citizenship and generated new ins ights into understanding why some people participate and of hers do no t.