People, Power, Praxis: A Critical Qualitative Reminder to Policy Scholars and Makers

Background: This article reflects on the crucial contribution of critical qualitative research in communication policymaking. Analysis: This article draws on previous and current projects that use critical theory to analyze broadband policy in the United States and discusses methodological interventions of critical political economy, critical feminism, Marxism, and ethnographic approaches to policy. Conclusions and Implications: I use the hallmarks of “people,” “power,” and “praxis” to argue for the need to rebalance what constitutes evidence in communication policymaking and the concomitant need to make space for critical qualitative research in public policymaking.