Over the next week, Humanity will be hosting an online symposium on the changing nature of knowledge production in fragile states. In light of the intensification of evidence-based policymaking and the “data revolution” in development, the symposium asks what the ethical and political implications are for qualitative research as a tool of governance. The symposium will begin tomorrow with a short paper from Deval Desai and Rebecca Tapscott, followed by responses during the week from Lisa Denney and Pilar Domingo (ODI); Michael Woolcock (World Bank); Morten Jerven (Norwegian University of Life Sciences and Simon Fraser University); Alex de Waal (World Peace Foundation); and Holly Porter (LSE). We hope that you enjoy the symposium and participate in the debate!
- Tomayto Tomahto: The research supply chain and the ethics of knowledge production
Deval Desai and Rebecca Tapscott
- Turning the gaze on ourselves: Acknowledging the political economy of development research
Lisa Denney and Pilar Domingo
- Beyond the quest for ‘policy implications’: Alternative options for applied development researchers
Michael Woolcock
- Evidence based policy or policy based evidence? Supply and demand for data in a donor-dominant world
Morten Jerven
- Policy to research to policy in difficult places
Alex de Waal
- The alchemy of relationships and the production of evidence
Holly Porter
- From method to market: some thoughts on the responses to Tomayto Tomahto
Deval Desai and Rebecca Tapscott
All contributors are writing in their personal capacities. The views expressed are those of the authors alone, and should not be attributed to the organizations with which they are affiliated.
