Evidence and the Politics of Participation in Academic-INGO Research Partnerships for International Development

这一建议的提出，是应实践者和学者对改善高等教育机构与非政府组织在国际发展领域的研究伙伴关系的关注而提出的。在英国资助环境的背景下，学者们面临着越来越大的压力，需要通过吸引研究用户和调解人来证明他们的研究的影响（HEFCE等，2011），非政府组织也在寻求通过为他们的项目提供“严格的成功衡量标准”来满足捐助者和支持者（Eyben, 2013），伙伴关系越来越被认为是互利的。然而，尽管对研究合作的推动推动了许多促成伙伴关系的新举措，但最近一波研究表明，伙伴关系的有效性往往受到参与约束的限制（例如Aniekwe et al 2012； ELRHA 2012; Hanley and Vogel 2012）。这些研究主要是描述性的，侧重于伙伴关系的工具性质，但很少分析参与的机制或对伙伴关系所重视和通过伙伴关系产生的那种证据的影响。因此，需要一个新的研究议程来加强对伙伴关系的分析，并在这样做的过程中有助于更广泛地理解科学院内外的知识生产政治。作为回应，本系列汇集了有关“参与知识生产”和“证据政治”的相关研究。研讨会将通过汇集来自不同学科和部门的研究，探讨如何在三个不同层次的研究伙伴关系中协商参与和证据概念，探讨这两个方面之间的交集：机构（假设、议程、结构和流程）；扫盲实践（有效合作研究所需的新交流实践）；研究人工制品（工具、技术、技术和文本）。它将通过以下方式实现这一目标：首先，根据立场文件制定背景的讲习班将通过提供一系列理解伙伴关系的分析框架，为核心研讨会提供框架。这个为期两天的讲习班还将用于开发一套工具，用于对伙伴关系案例研究进行参与性分析，并为今后的研讨会制定行为守则。其次，围绕8个研究伙伴关系的案例研究（每个案例由一名学者和一名实践者共同介绍），将举办一系列核心研讨会，以创造一个安全的空间，促进信任，并使人们能够对伙伴关系中的经验进行批判性反思。这些讨论会的形式将是创新的，使用一系列参与性方法来组织分析和辩论，鼓励积极参与，并使进程中的权力动态能够显现和面对。由于讨论的敏感性质，这些讨论会将受到限制，但是，将通过创新地使用社会媒体（包括实时推特信息源）促进与外部与会者的对话。第三，核心研讨会的成果将在一个高级别会议上提出，该会议还将纳入一系列英国和国际贡献者的见解和观点。会议将以一个圆桌会议结束，讨论研究议程和开发资源以支持更强有力的研究伙伴关系的战略。通过将作为共同研究人员的实践者和学者（包括高级和早期职业研究人员）以及经常同时担任这两个角色的研究生聚集在一起，该系列研讨会旨在使作为共同研究人员的学者和实践者的地位民主化。该丛书将导致出版物和资源的发展，为新的研究议程提供信息，并改善研究伙伴关系的实践。

This proposal arises responsively from concern expressed by both practitioners and academics to improve research partnerships between HEIs and INGOs in the field of international development. In the context of a British funding climate in which academics are under heightened pressure to justify the impact of their research by engaging research users and mediators (HEFCE et al 2011) and INGOs are seeking to satisfy donors and supporters by providing 'rigorous measures of success' for their programmes (Eyben 2013) partnerships are increasingly perceived as mutually beneficial. However, while the drive towards research collaboration has fuelled many new initiatives to broker partnerships, a recent wave of studies have suggested that the effectiveness of partnerships is often limited by constraints to participation (e.g. Aniekwe et al 2012; ELRHA 2012; Hanley and Vogel 2012). These studies have been largely descriptive, focusing on the instrumental nature of partnerships but with little analytical attention to the mechanics of participation or to the implications for the kind of evidence that is valued in and produced through partnerships. A new research agenda is therefore needed to strengthen the analyses of partnerships and in doing so, contribute to broader understandings of the politics of knowledge production within and outside of the academy.In response, this series brings together interrelated strands of research on 'participation in knowledge production' and the 'politics of evidence'. The seminars will explore the intersection between these two strands by drawing together research from different disciplines and sectors on how participation and notions of evidence are negotiated in research partnerships at three distinct levels: institutions (assumptions, agendas, structures and processes); literacy practices (new communication practices required for effective co-production of research); and research artefacts (tools, techniques, technologies and texts). It will achieve this in the following ways:First, context-setting workshop informed by position papers will frame the core seminars by providing a series of analytical frameworks for understanding partnerships. This 2-day workshop will also be used to develop a tool kit for participatory analysis of partnership case studies and establish a code of conduct for the following seminars.Second, a core series of four seminars structured around eight case studies of research partnerships (each co-presented by an academic and practitioner) will be used to create a safe space to facilitate trust and enable critical reflection of experiences in partnerships. These seminars will be innovative in their form using a range of participatory methodologies to structure analysis and debate, encourage active participation, and enable power dynamics within the process to be made visible and confronted. Due to the sensitive nature of discussions, these seminars will be restricted, however, dialogue with external participants will be facilitated through innovative use of social media (including a real-time Twitter-feed).Third, the outcomes of the core seminars will be presented at a high-level conference which will also incorporate insights and perspectives from a range of UK-based and international contibutors. The conference will conclude with a round-table discussion on the research agenda and around strategies for developing resources to support stronger research partnerships By drawing together as co-researchers practitioners and academics (including senior and early-career researchers) and research students - who often occupy both roles simultaneously - the seminar series aims to democratise the status of both academics and practitioners as co-researchers. The series will result in the development of publications and resources to inform a new research agenda and improve practice in research partnerships.