Field Research in Developing Countries: Hitting the Road Running

Abstract

The availability of relatively reliable and comparable data online and the increasing emphasis on statistical and formal research methods has led many political scientists to dismiss research in foreign countries as a waste of time and money. We leave that debate to others (see, e.g., Comparative Politics Organized Section 2005; Qualitative Methods Organized Section 2004). Instead, we offer suggestions for maximizing the contributions of fieldwork to the production of original research. We pay particular attention to research in developing countries owing to the unique challenges of undertaking research there, but we believe our insights are applicable to field research more generally.

Survive and Thrive: Field Research in Authoritarian Southeast Asia

“…In some cases, in fact, it may be difficult to separate issues of illiberalism from those of underdevelopment. A lack of reliable public opinion data and accessible archives, for instance, may represent efforts at obfuscation and interference or may stem more from scarce resources, sub-par infrastructure and technological incapacity (Clark, 2006, p. 418;Hertel, Singer, & Cott, 2009). Drawing on Southeast Asia as a methodological laboratory, we next turn to practical advice for scholars at all career levels on pursuing field research in authoritarian regimes.…”

get organised: the ‘do’s’ preceding successful field research

“…Fujii provides direction on how to work with interpreters (Fujii 2013). Hertel et al (2009) Finally, as the laudable exception, Lieberman (2004) concretely addresses the preparatory agenda in field research -an effort we strive to complement here.…”

“…Yet, the organisational intricacies that precede successful field research in political science apparently elude themselves from guide and textbook format. As a notable exception Lieberman (2004) discusses the preparation phase of fieldwork, and Hertel et al (2009) and a recent symposium (Hsueh, Jensenius, and Newsome 2014) at least provide some practical guidance on how to plan field research. Yet, much of the advice is primarily concerned with the (important) issue of a valid research design, and less with pragmatic instructions on the actual organisation of field research.…”

Elite interviews in the developing world: finding anchors in weak institutional environments

“…If contact is established, a common response is to ask whether you are already 'in-country'. Many field researchers in these contexts therefore arrive at their research site without a clearly set agenda, and must expend considerable time and resources preparing on the ground (Hertel et al, 2009). 5 This can present real challenges during the grant writing and the preparation stages of research, when it is often expected that you will have a detailed list and strategy for identifying elites and conducting interviews.…”

“…Fieldwork in weaker institutional settings is not excused from extensive preparation (Hertel et al, 2009), but researchers must be more realistic regarding the type of information they can gather ahead of time and where to find it. Ideally, before heading to the field you have some semblance of what sort of data you aim to gather from elite interviews.…”