Combining discourse analyses to enrich theory: The case of local land-use policies in South Eastern France

•We combine a qualitative and two computer-assisted quantitative discourse analyses.•We illustrate this by analyzing land use policy drivers in South-Eastern France.•This allows us to switch between a local empirical approach and large-scale modelling.•The analysis highlights the role of neighboring municipalities and agriculture.

Local land-use policies are determined by a wide range of considerations that do not always favor open-space preservation. To identify them, a field study was undertaken in South Eastern France via semi-directive interviews with people responsible for municipal land-use policies. We use it to compare a qualitative (i.e. manual) discourse analysis with two quantitative (i.e. computer-assisted) analyses and combine them to identify the drivers of land-use policies, especially with regard to urban sprawl. Performing all three analyses allows us to switch back and forth between a local empirical approach and large-scale modeling and methods. This should enrich micro-economic models by clarifying more complex local features, like unbalanced relationships with neighboring municipalities or why “agriculture” should be considered as an independent interest group.