Equity in research for development
Lead institution(s)
Summary
There is a growing realization in international assistance that inequalities are ingrained in the assumptions that have long underpinned “development”, its associated systems and approaches, and that actors within the development ecosystem must seek to reduce ingrained inequalities and promoteRead more
There is a growing realization in international assistance that inequalities are ingrained in the assumptions that have long underpinned “development”, its associated systems and approaches, and that actors within the development ecosystem must seek to reduce ingrained inequalities and promote more locally determined equitable outcomes. Recent events and movements have highlighted a range of problems with mainstream development concepts, institutions, practices and power relations, including their coloniality and narrow notions of unidirectional progress and growth.
This questioning is being driven in large part by the acknowledgement that inequality, in all aspects of life and felt globally, is one of the greatest challenges of our times, and that reducing it is central to progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
While there is a growing literature interrogating inequity in the international assistance space, there are related questions and dynamics that are important to explore within research and particularly in the research for development funding context. Inequalities persist in the production of research and in the availability of research funding; systemic biases in research funding processes, open access, and other aspects of publishing and research evaluation; and the limitations of “academic” knowledge that represents only a minority of perspectives and experience. There is a need for more diverse and context-specific involvement in research and research methodologies, the integration of anti-racist approaches into research and research funding practices, more equitable agenda-setting and equal partnerships in research.
This project will convene a process to co-create a research agenda and explore pathways towards research for development that are equitable. It will explore the key questions (some noted above, others yet to be determined) that will form a research and action agenda for equity in the research for development field, with implications for research and funding communities alike.
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