Rigged or rigorous? Partnerships for research and evaluation of complex social problems: lessons from the field of violence against women and girls

Zimmerman, C., Michau, L., Hossain, M. ORCID: 0000-0002-1878-8145, Kiss, L., Borland, R. and Watts, C., 2016. Rigged or rigorous? Partnerships for research and evaluation of complex social problems: lessons from the field of violence against women and girls. Journal of Public Health Policy, 37 (S1), pp. 95-109. ISSN 0197-5897

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Abstract

There is growing demand for robust evidence to address complex social phenomena such as violence against women and girls (VAWG). Research partnerships between scientists and non-governmental or international organizations (NGO/IO) are increasingly popular, but can pose challenges, including concerns about potential conflicts of interest. Drawing on our experience collaborating on VAWG research, we describe challenges and contributions that NGO/IO and academic partners can make at different stages of the research process and the effects that collaborations can have on scientific inquiry. Partners may struggle with differing priorities and misunderstandings about roles, limitations, and intentions. Benefits of partnerships include a shared vision of study goals, differing and complementary expertise, mutual respect, and a history of constructive collaboration. Our experience suggests that when investigating multi-faceted social problems, instead of ‘rigging’ study results, research collaborations can strengthen scientific rigor and offer the greatest potential for impact in the communities we seek to serve.

Item Type: Journal article
Publication Title: Journal of Public Health Policy
Creators: Zimmerman, C., Michau, L., Hossain, M., Kiss, L., Borland, R. and Watts, C.
Publisher: Springer
Date: September 2016
Volume: 37
Number: S1
ISSN: 0197-5897
Identifiers:
NumberType
10.1057/s41271-016-0006-3DOI
1726936Other
Divisions: Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by: Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added: 07 Feb 2023 10:52
Last Modified: 07 Feb 2023 10:52
URI: https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/48181

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