Social Dynamics in a Participatory Research Project as a Risk

[Pfersdorf, Simon (ITAS)]

 

Dear member,

 

CONSIDER is always looking for feedback on its work in order to ensure that our final recommendations recognize the needs of all stakeholders. As such, we are extremely keen to hear your views on the latest analysis from a research project regarding CSOs on a partner level.

A question has arisen surrounding whether CSO involvement in a research project poses a risk to the purpose of the research. Some interviews argued that you could end up with an outcome you hadn’t expected, and therefore, had not previously described…

Implications for Participatory Research Projects

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE DONE?

·        Should a participatory research project stick to its original plan or should it be adapted to changes as they occur?

·        What could scientists, CSOs or funders do to handle unexpected events?

 

The longer CSOs and researchers work together, the better they understand each other and the more effective their cooperation becomes. However, some people argue that researchers and CSOs should cooperate in pilot and test projects before daring to engage in a longer project.

Do you think this could in fact be the solution to the problem?

 

I look forward to receiving your comments and opinions! It would also be fantastic to hear about any of your own experiences with this issue. It is through these dialogues that CONSIDER can strengthen their understanding of CSO participation in research and develop more effective proposals.

 

Best regards,

Simon

 

 

______________________________________________________ 

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis

Simon-Philipp Pfersdorf
Karlstrasse 11
D-76133 Karlsruhe

Phone: +49 721 608-24841
Fax: +49 721 608-26045
Email: Simon.P...@kit.edu
Web: http://www.itas.kit.edu/mitarbeiter_pfersdorf_simon-philipp.php

KIT – University of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg and
National Research Center of the Helmholtz Association

 

 

[Vanja Dimitrievski]

Dear Simon,

I am always for radical contextualization of research. It is uncommon to donors, but it is the only way applicable, especially in ethnography. It would be ideal if donors are people educated research methodologies, but if not I don't seem any possible solution to make them understand if they are narrow minded. Only possible solution I can see is to involve mentor-ship perspective in the project and to conduct research under "supervision" of mentor recognized by the donor.

I hope you will find this helpful.

Best regards,

Vanja Dimitrievski

Program Assistant for Research

Healthy Options Project Skopje

CEDR (Center for Education, Documentation and Research)

Address: Hristo Smirnenski 48/1-6

1000 Skopje, Macedonia

Phone: +389 2/324-6205

Fax: +389 2/324-6210

Mobile: +389 78/814-747

E-mail: van...@hops.org.mk

Web: www.hops.org.mk

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[Susanne Martikke]

Hi Simon,

Thanks for running this by the list. I think if we want CSOs to participate in research then they have to be allowed to shape it – otherwise we are not reaping the full benefits from working collaboratively. It probably depends on the type of research, but I get the impression that most research bids are quite fluid in terms of the outcomes and that funders recognize that the research process itself can shape and change the original question that the research set out to answer. But, as I said, this probably differs, depending on the research discipline one works in. It would certainly help for academics and community partners to get to know each other better, ideally having worked on a small prior research project together, but this would probably mean a real change in how academics work. It would mean staying in touch with community partners over time and having an ongoing exchange with them to co-create research ideas and jointly submit bids. That way, there are fewer uncomfortable surprises during the research, I would hope.

Also, not all research projects suit this way of working, but then I would suggest to drop all pretenses that this might be a collaborative endavour. I guess it’s about being honest to oneself and the partner about the scope there is for shaping the process jointly.

Cheers,

Susanne

 

 

Susanne Martikke, Researcher

 

 

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