Research as usual in humanitarian settings? Equalising power in academic-NGO research partnerships through co-production.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Research partnerships in conflict-affected and humanitarian settings can reveal complex power hierarchies between academics and NGOs. During the process of research, decision-making may skew in favour of more powerful actors, who often direct the scope of the research, hold the budget and lead the analysis. Co-production is increasingly emerging as a helpful approach that attempts to equalise power dynamics during research. The aim of this paper is to draw attention to the main challenges associated with a "research as usual" approach to research partnerships in humanitarian settings, as power hierarchies may be particularly magnified in these settings.

Methods

This paper is based on a comprehensive literature review and 32 semi-structured interviews with academic

SUBMITTER: Lokot M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8390113 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature