The beliefs of state-level leaders: A case study of the North Carolina Information Highway and the Iowa Communications Network

This dissertation discusses the concept of belief systems and makes the case that by studying the beliefs of information highway subsystem actors and by employing Q-methodology to model the subjective viewpoints of these individuals, two important objectives are achieved. First, significant progress toward understanding an important policy domain--state-level information highway development--is possible through a research design focusing on the process of policy development.;Second, through qualitative, cross-state research and with the assistance of Q-methodology, this dissertation holds the promise of building a theory of social explanation that provides interpretation of personal perspectives on important issues regarding state-level information highways. This type of qualitative analysis allows for more than simple description of events. A thorough understanding of leading actors' beliefs in this topical area can facilitate explanation and theory building.;Beyond providing a rich case study analysis of the development of the Iowa Communications Network and the North Carolina Information Highway, this dissertation makes a number of important contributions to our understanding of belief systems and the impact of belief systems on policymaking. Relatively little research has been conducted at the sub-national level to investigate the ways in which the belief systems of leading actors affect the policymaking process. In North Carolina and Iowa I find evidence of small, yet powerful collections of visionary leaders who push through plans for an advanced statewide communication network. In each state I discover a fairly small set of distinct categories of beliefs representing the main fault lines dividing leaders' opinions of their statewide information highway.;Through the use of a multi-stage research design, this dissertation presents an innovative method to better understand the ways that beliefs affect the development of public policies in the states. Through document search (collection of important literature regarding policy development), initial open-ended interviews, subsequent semi-structured interviews with key actors, and finally in-depth probing with Q-methodology, I analyze the policy arena of state-level information highway development and generate a set of propositions based upon these findings.