Towards ethically sound participatory research with marginalised populations: experiences from India

Participatory research is increasingly being used with poor and marginalised populations in developing countries. However, there has been relatively little attention paid to ethical considerations in participatory research. We argue that there is a need for additional strategies to promote ethically sound participatory research, especially when working with marginalised groups. We present our experiences from a participatory research initiative with an indigenous population in rural India, in which we developed and implemented a Code of Research Ethics and sought community consent as well as individual consent. The challenges that we faced and how we attempted to overcome them are also discussed.

Dans le sens de recherches participatives robustes sur le plan éthique avec des populations marginales : expériences d'Inde

Les recherches participatives sont de plus en plus utilisées avec des populations pauvres et marginalisées dans les pays en développement. Cependant, une attention relativement faible a été accordée aux considérations éthiques dans les recherches participatives. Nous soutenons qu'il est nécessaire d'adopter des stratégies supplémentaires pour promouvoir des recherches participatives robustes sur le plan éthique, en particulier au moment de travailler avec des groupes marginalisés. Nous présentons nos expériences d'une initiative de recherche participative avec une population autochtone dans une zone rurale de l'Inde, dans le cadre de laquelle nous avons élaboré et mis au point un Code d'éthique en matière de recherche et tenté d'obtenir le consentement de la communauté ainsi que celui des individus. Les défis auxquels nous nous sommes heurtés et la manière dont nous avons tenté de les relever font aussi l'objet d'une discussion.

Em direção a uma pesquisa participativa eticamente s?lida com populaçóes marginalizadas: experiéncias da Índia

A pesquisa participativa está cada vez mais sendo utilizada com populaçóes pobres e marginalizadas em países em desenvolvimento. Porém, tem havido relativamente pouca atenção a consideraçóes éticas na pesquisa participativa. Argumentamos que há uma necessidade de estratégias adicionais para promover pesquisa participativa eticamente s?lida, especialmente quando se está trabalhando com grupos marginalizados. Apresentamos nossas experiéncias a partir de uma iniciativa de pesquisa participativa com uma população nativa na zona rural da ëndia, na qual desenvolvemos e implementamos um C?digo de èica de Pesquisa e buscamos o consentimento da comunidade e também o consentimento individual. Os desafios que enfrentamos e o modo como tentamos superá-los também são discutidos.

Hacia una investigación participativa ética con poblaciones marginadas: experiencias de India

La investigación participativa se aplica cada vez más con poblaciones pobres y marginadas de los países en desarrollo. Sin embargo, se ha prestado poca atención a los aspectos éticos de este tipo de investigación. Los autores sostienen que sería conveniente contar con nuevas estrategias para promover la investigación participativa con sólidas bases éticas, en especial a la hora de trabajar con grupos marginados. Los autores presentan los resultados de una investigación participativa con una población indígena del sector rural de India, donde elaboraron e implementaron un Código de Ética para la Investigación que incluía el consentimiento tanto comunitario como individual. El ensayo también expone cómo los autores afrontaron los retos que surgieron.     

Facilitating the entry of communities in the herbal medicine sector: GMCL in India

The medicinal plant sector is on the increase in many developing countries. Despite this, the existing supply chain is unable to improve the livelihoods of the gatherers. This article considers Gram Mooligai Company Limited (GMCL), the first community-based enterprise active in the herbal sector. GMCL promotes a more equitable sharing of benefits in the sector, while also aiming for a more sustainable use of natural resources. The article draws conclusions and lessons about supporting such types of enterprises, reforming the herbal-sector supply chain, and promoting new forms of partnership between ayurvedic firms and communities.     

Physically disabled women's creditworthiness in Village Development Fund: evidence from Thailand

The Village Development Fund (VDF) is used in Thailand to empower the rural poor, especially women living with disabilities. This article investigates the problems of gaining access to credit faced by physically disabled women in rural Thailand. In-depth interviews with 20 women with physical disabilities in north-eastern Thailand indicate that these women still do not benefit from small loans from the VDF because they face significant attitude barriers from the VDF chairpersons and from their own families. The author argues that non-disabled communities and their own families believe that disabilities make these women less creditworthy.

Capacité d'emprunt des femmes physiquement handicapées dans le cadre d'un Fonds de développement villageois : données de Thaïlande

Le Fonds de développement villageois (FDV) est utilisé en Thaïlande pour autonomiser les pauvres en milieu rural, en particulier les femmes handicapées. Cet article traite des problèmes rencontrés au moment d'obtenir l'accès au crédit par les femmes physiquement handicapées en milieu rural en Thaïlande. Des entretiens approfondis menés avec 20 femmes physiquement handicapées dans le nord-est de la Thaïlande indiquent que ces femmes ne profitent pas encore de petits prêts du FDV parce qu'elles se heurtent à d'importantes barrières attitudinales de la part des président(e)s du FDV et de leur propre famille. L'auteur soutient que les communautés non handicapées et leurs propres familles respectives estiment que ces femmes sont moins solvables du fait de leurs handicaps.

Capacidade financeira das mulheres deficientes físicas de obter crédito no Village Development Fund: evidências da Tailândia

O Village Development Fund (VDF) é utilizado na Tailândia para empoderar as pessoas pobres da zona rural, especialmente mulheres portadoras de deficiência. Este artigo investiga os problemas para se obter acesso a crédito enfrentados pelas mulheres deficientes físicas na zona rural da Tailândia. Entrevistas minuciosas com 20 mulheres com deficiência física no nordeste da Tailândia indicam que estas mulheres ainda não se beneficiam com os pequenos empréstimos do VDF porque elas enfrentam grandes barreiras de atitude dos coordenadores do VDF e de seus próprias famílias. O autor argumenta que comunidades não-deficientes e suas próprias famílias acreditam que a deficiência torna estas mulheres menos capazes de pagar seus empréstimos.

La solvencia crediticia de mujeres discapacitadas del Fondo de Desarrollo Comunitario (Village Development Fund): el ejemplo de Tailandia

El Fondo de Desarrollo Comunitario (FDC) promueve en Tailandia el empoderamiento de campesinos pobres, en especial de mujeres discapacitadas. Este ensayo examina los problemas que tienen las mujeres discapacitadas para obtener créditos en el área rural de Tailandia. Entrevistas a fondo a 20 mujeres con discapacidades físicas en el noreste de Tailandia mostraron que las mujeres siguen sin beneficiarse de los pequeños préstamos del FDC por las actitudes negativas de los directivos del FDC e incluso de sus propias familias. El autor sostiene que las personas sin discapacidades y los propios familiares de las mujeres con alguna discapacidad creen que por esta situación tienen menos solvencia crediticia.     

Combining sanitation and women's participation in water supply: an example from Rajasthan

Water supply and sanitation provision are key elements in progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Women's participation is considered integral to the sustainability of the projects created to meet these two MDGs. Bringing feminist and geographic critiques to bear on gendered approaches to improving sanitation coverage, the research reported on in this article indicates that latrine building and women's participation may be contradictory goals for sanitation projects, despite the fact that women are the target group for latrine-building interventions. The findings of the analysis suggest that attention must be given to latrine building as both a technical undertaking and a gendered political intervention.     

Women’s adoption of improved cook stoves in Timor-Leste: challenges and opportunities

This article examines Timorese women’s decision-making process of adoption of improved cooked stoves, using Slaski and Thurber’s conceptual framework of “motivation, affordability, and level of engagement”, developed by Slaski and Thurber (2009). Despite the obvious, evidence-based socio-economic benefits of using improved cook stoves, the majority of households still persist with their traditional cooking method. This article argues that the level of engagement with new technology needs to be contextualised in light of cultural attributes and beliefs which have led to the slow uptake of clean, efficient cooking technology.     

Learning from experience in urban programming: the case of the SHAHAR project in Bangladesh

The article offers a reflective analysis of various problems encountered and lessons learned in implementing a programme to improve the livelihood security of the urban poor in secondary cities of Bangladesh. The study is based on the author's involvement as an external action-research partner, and a review of relevant secondary literature. A number of key lessons emerge for the success of project operations. These are the need for (1) a clear understanding of the links between project activities and project objectives by all staff; (2) capacity building for all staff tailored to their needs; (3) clear targeting criteria and programme coverage; (4) a full complement of operational guidelines, work plans, and monitoring and evaluation design before implementation; (5) ensuring ‘partnership of organisations’ not ‘partnership of activities’; (6) ensuring the real involvement of beneficiaries in all aspects of the project; (7) staff empowerment and a flexible approach to operations; (8) routine reflections on project progress; and finally (9) being ready to take bold steps and make necessary strategic changes, even if doing so requires significant deviations from pre-set activities and hypothetical schedules as featured in the project proposals.     

NGO–business collaboration following the Indian CSR Bill 2013: trust-building collaborative social sector partnerships

The CSR Bill of 2013 introduced systematic corporate participation into social development in India. In the light of this law, this article argues that NGOs will play a decisive role in determining the benefits of corporate involvement and recommends that NGO–business partnerships are needed for meaningful social change. The article identifies a trust deficit between NGOs and businesses in India as a key obstacle to the success of NGO–business collaborations in the social sector. It suggests practices that could be adopted by NGOs to build trust in their partnerships with business partners, using a case study of one NGO, SNEHA (Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action).     

Reflections on innovation,assessment, and social change: a SPARC case study

This article challenges the terms on which donor agencies evaluate development success, drawing on a particular case to make its point. It describes the resettlement of 60,000 people squatting along the railway tracks in Mumbai, a process planned and carried out by a federation of the railway dwellers themselves, with support from the NGO SPARC (the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres). The article argues that this effort, which met donor criteria for a successful project, was the tip of an iceberg. Without an appreciation of the years of learning and innovation that preceded it, and the underpinning of principles and relationships built up over many years, this achievement cannot be adequately assessed or understood – and certainly not replicated. Yet in the world of formal assessment and evaluation, there tends to be a lack of interest in the deeper learning about social change that makes such success stories possible.     

The role of self-help groups in empowering disabled women: a case study in Kathmandu Valley,Nepal

The literature on self-help groups (SHGs) shows a mixed record on empowering women both economically and socially, while the literature on Women with Disabilities (WWDs) highlights the problems of isolation that exacerbate their disadvantages. This article, asking whether SHGs can empower WWDs, is based on a study conducted in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. It concludes that being an SHG member is useful for gaining employment that leads to better recognition in the family and society. However, employment opportunities and organisational experiences mean that the benefits are not equally shared among all members.