Taking the Research Experience Seriously
A Framework for Reflexive Applied Research in Development
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6147012 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Roxani Krystalli (0000-0002-0067-9987, University of St Andrews), Elizabeth Hoffecker (0000-0003-4782-0199, MIT D-Lab, USA), Kendra Leith (MIT D-Lab, USA), Kim Wilson (0000-0001-7225-3507, Tufts University) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2021-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Global Studies Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2634-3797 • E-ISSN: 2634-3797 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/isagsq/ksab022 |
| OpenAlex | W3199537056 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 31 |
Interdisciplinary scholarly literature considers how research processes may adversely affect their participants. Building on this work, this article addresses the processes and practices of applied research in contexts in which imbalances of power exist between researchers and those being researched. We argue that research activities in international development and humanitarian work that are typically operational, such as needs assessments, baseline studies, and monitoring and evaluation, represent interventions in the lives of participants, with the potential to create value or harm, delight or distress. The ethical and methodological dilemmas of this intervention have received less attention than purely academic discussions of human subject research. How can applied researchers meaningfully reckon with the effects of the research process on both those conducting it and those participating in it throughout the research cycle? In response, we introduce an approach co-developed over seven years through engagement with applied researchers across sectors. We discuss four interrelated principles—relevance, respect, right-sizing, and rigor—intended to invite a commitment to ongoing process improvement in the conduct of applied research. We also propose a framework to guide the implementation of these principles and illustrate the tensions that may arise in the process of its application. These contributions extend conversations about research ethics and methods to the operational research realm, as well as provide concrete tools for reflecting on the processes of operational research as sites of power that ought to be considered as seriously as the findings of data collection activities
Action research · Engineering ethics · Harm · Management science · Political science · Process (computing · Psychological intervention · Realm · Reflexivity · Relevance (law · Research design · Research ethics · Social science · Sociology · Community Development and Social Impact · Computer Science · Engineering · Evaluation and Performance Assessment · Psychology · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research · Social Psychology
Positionality Statements as a Function of Coloniality
Good Victims
Cross-country use of participatory research methods in practice to enhance inclusive decision-making
Positionality and Knowledge Production on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence against Men and Boys in (Counter-) Terrorism
Cattle to cash
Colonial Dis/Continuities in Cameroon and the Postcolonial Dilemma in the Archive
From Protocol to Practice
North-South research collaboration during complex global emergencies
The Sage Handbook of Action Research
Fieldwork Under FireContemporary Studies of Violence and Culture
Research and Fieldwork in Development
Participatory Action Research Approaches and Methods
Stop Stealing Our Stories
The Politics of Data Access in Studying Violence across Methodological Boundaries
Narrating victimhood
Walking the Line
From Remote Control to Collaboration
Exploring the Backstage
Horizontal Evaluation
Outcome Evidencing
The Politics of Labeling Refugee Men as “Vulnerable”
Civil society knowledge networks
The humanitarian infrastructure and the question of over‐research
Research Ethics 101
The Ethical Challenges of Field Research in Conflict Zones
I followed the flood
Doing good, but looking bad? Local perceptions of two humanitarian organisations in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
Locating Academic NGOs in the Knowledge Production Landscape
On 'being researched
On the Problem of Over-researched Communities
| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,6 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2025 (5) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |