Research for Development

A Practical Guide

Sophie Laws, Caroline Harper, Nicola Jones, Rachel Marcus

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781446289709
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: R&D
• Index: Business

Research for Development offers a comprehensive guide to commissioning, managing and undertaking research in development work. It serves both as a practical reference manual and an indispensable learning tool.

Divided into three parts, the book provides a complete overview of the research process spanning:

- the uses, planning and management of research

- reviewing existing evidence

- learning development research skills

- choosing research methods

- undertaking ethical research

- writing an effective research report

- promoting research uptake and assessing research

- monitoring and evaluation

This fully revised second edition also includes a new section on how to use the internet for research. Its 16 chapters are enriched by a variety of international case studies, checklists of key points, learning exercises, helpful references to further reading and engaging illustrations. The book also includes a detailed glossary of terms.

Drawing on considerable hands-on experience, Research for Development is an ideal practical companion for students of development studies and public policy, as well as practitioners in the field.

Cover image © Jenny Matthews / World Vision/ PhotoVoice

PART 1

INTRODUCTION AND PLANNING YOUR RESEARCH

1

INTRODUCTION: WHY DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH MATTERS

What is research? What is the best approach to research for development work? What are the different ways in which research is used in development work? This chapter aims to lay the foundations for the rest of the manual by attempting to answer these questions.

The book is written for development workers, and is intended to give you the tools to use research as effectively as possible in your work. We draw on examples from international development work and from work in the UK to improve the wellbeing of disadvantaged communities. We take a definition of human development compatible with the following, that ‘human development aims to expand people’s freedoms – the worthwhile capabilities people value – and to empower people to engage actively in development processes, on a shared planet. And it seeks to do so in ways that appropriately advance equity, efficiency, sustainability and other key principles’ (Alkire, 2010). For development workers, research is one approach to improving social wellbeing. Ideas are proposed to assist in deciding when a research approach is the best one to take.

Research is used in development work for a variety of purposes. It may set out to explore an issue in order to plan a programme; it may, more broadly, ask people in an area about their own needs; or it may aim to collect in-depth information about a specific issue, to make a case for change. Research methods are also used in programme monitoring, evaluation and review. What we call research can range from very small local pieces of work (perhaps just reviewing existing information) to major international projects.

Research involves collecting new information in a systematic way, and effective research often challenges received wisdom and ideas that are taken for granted. So, what can be achieved through using research in development work? We begin with some real-life examples focused on various aspects of child wellbeing.

In the first example, research into the situation of children working stitching footballs in Pakistan gave information which could be used both to plan Save the Children’s own programme of work and to influence policy on child labour internationally.

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Child Labour Project, Sialkot, Pakistan

Save the Children’s research in Sialkot was the foundation for its involvement in a coalition working to phase out child labour in football production.The research provided detailed information about why children stitch footballs, their working conditions, the problems they and their families face and how to help them exit the workforce. It challenged some of the myths that were floating around, for example that the work prevented child stitchers from attending school, and revealed for the first time the large numbers of women football stitchers. On the basis of this new and important information, Save the Children was able to plan its own contributions to a programme to assist children’s transition out of the workforce.

The research was also very timely. The initial findings were available at the same time as the International Labour Organization was planning its own programme, and the completed research was ready by the time most of the partners in the Sialkot programme were starting to plan their activities. It was thus possible to use them to influence other partners’ activities to promote family welfare, for example by finding ways women could continue working after their children stopped. The research provided the basis for broader advocacy on child labour issues with industry, international organizations and consumers, among others.

In Pakistan and internationally, the research played an important role in establishing Save the Children as a credible actor on child labour issues. The fact that it was rigorous – based on a carefully thought-out methodology – and was widely seen to be impartial was important in Save the Children’s ability to exert an influence on the programme and to speak with authority on the issue.

Source: Save the Children UK (1997a)

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Research is also important to ensure that development programmes are appropriate to the needs they aim to address. In addition to carrying out research themselves, development organizations should encourage the greater use of existing research. Especially in emergency situations, there is often a failure to seek out relevant research – for example work produced by anthropologists on a group suffering a crisis – and this can compromise effective intervention.

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Appropriate aid for nomads in Somaliland

A failure to read ethnography on Somaliland, led agencies in the immediate post-conflict phase to build schools in pastoral nomadic communities which would normally move continuously with their herds to water sources. Schools created a focal point for settlement but also provided a target for grenades: by bringing people together they rendered them more vulnerable to attack.

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Making use of existing research to identify mechanisms to address school violence

Cruel and humiliating forms of psychological punishment, gender-based violence and bullying remain a daily reality for millions of schoolchildren. Aiming to stop this growing global problem, Plan launched the Learn Without Fear campaign (http://plan-international.org/learnwithoutfear) in October 2008.

In order to inform the campaign with the most updated, relevant and actionable evidence, Plan commissioned a review of existing research from the Overseas Development Institute to identify policies, programmes and legal instruments that address school violence in the developing world, and to draw implications for policy, practice and research.

The paper (http://plan-international.org/learnwithoutfear/files/painful-lessons-english) focused on bullying and sexual violence in school contexts only. This choice of focus was influenced by an international consultation process undertaken by Plan in 2007.

The report shows that:

• Girls as young as ten are being forced to have sex by their teachers to pass exams and threatened with poor grades and failure if they refuse.
• In a multi-country World Health Organization study, between 20 and 65 per cent of school-aged children reported having been verbally or physically bullied over the past 30 days.
• Gender-based violence in schools is reinforced by sexist and discriminatory content of educational materials. In Nicaragua, for instance, educational authorities approved a conservative religious-inspired module on sexual education, popularly known as the ‘catechism of sexuality’, to be used in schools.
• Girls’ likelihood of molestation increases with the distance to school.
• Bullying is also seen to be linked to experiences of domestic violence, as children learn that violence is a primary mechanism for negotiating relationships. Children who suffer from family violence are more likely to be bullies and/or to be bullied.

Violence in schools ruins the one real chance of a better and more prosperous life for many children, and denies to communities and countries a vital national asset. Since violence against schoolchildren is preventable, Plan will continue to use research to guide campaign and programme work to ensure children’s right to a safe school environment.

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Development agencies are increasingly using participatory research methods. These enable community members to have a say on both the issue itself and how the research is carried out. Participatory work can contribute both to programme development and to influencing policy at national or international level.

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Participatory needs assessment in Vietnam

A participatory needs assessment in four communes in Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An province, Vietnam, looked at livelihood strategies and credit and savings. The purpose was to improve the quality of Save the Children’s assistance and enhance its impact on partner agencies and beneficiaries. The assessment had the goal of obtaining a better understanding of local conditions and needs; constraints and problems; and opportunities and potential. The participatory process was to lead into communities participating in project design and implementation and management in the longer term.

Multidisciplinary teams, including a credit specialist, an agriculturalist, a district representative and two representatives from each commune, carried out the research using a mix of techniques and a variety of sources of information. Observation, semi-structured in...