Layered and Linking Research Partnerships: Learning from YOUR World Research in Ethiopia and Nepal

Abstract

This article draws on learning from the YOUR World Research project in Ethiopia and Nepal, which uses the socioecological Change-scape framework to understand how participants in research need to be understood within a landscape of changing institutional, environmental, and political contexts. The article explores whether trustful relationships, ownership, and commitment can bring about more effective societal change through research. Through group discussion and reflective perspectives, the authors draw out possible indicators of successful partnership from the different contexts in which YOUR World Research was working. These include histories of interpersonal relationships; shared vision and motivations; building ownership; shared platforms and spaces for dialogue; and flexibility to respond to shocks and changes in context. The article suggests that whilst being realistic about the power and politics of partnership, there are mechanisms in partnership models that can help support high-quality rigorous research whilst creating impact at local, national, and international levels.

Trapped bodies, moving minds: Uncertainty and migration among marginalised urban youth in Ethiopia

“…Creative qualitative methods (Johnson et al, 2016) were complemented by anthropological approaches (Getu et al, 2018;Katz, 2014). The project's partnership approach facilitated dissemination of evidence from marginalised youth into academic discourse, local and national policy and practice, informing non-governmental partners and government departments and services (Johnson et al, 2019).…”

“…Historical mobility within rural communities, combined with population pressures on increasingly fragmented and environmentally fragile land, has brought uncertainty to agrarian communities about how to sustain livelihoods (Fransen & Kuschminder, 2009;Grabska et al, 2019;Kuschminder & Siegel, 2014). After the government changed in 2018, the Ethiopian government sought to improve accessibility of formal education for school-age children, redeveloping national youth policy to include the most-marginalised (Johnson et al, 2019). Poor households in rural areas struggle to send children to school, and the mostmarginalised youth often have to drop out and work.…”

Facilitating Co-Creation of Knowledge in Two Community-University Research Partnerships

“…Finally, an overarching theme running through both CURPs was creativity, an aspect that adds to the small but growing pool of literature on how to co-create knowledge within such partnerships (Hall et al, 2015;Hill et al, 2019;Johnson et al, 2019;Mountz et al, 2008). Both CURPs developed non-traditional, often artsbased, ways to reduce barriers, recognize and capture community knowledge, along with making it available to a range of users.…”

Learning from a Living Archive: Rejuvenating Child and Youth Rights and Participation

“…Diversity among children needs to be recognised, which includes understanding their own definitions of marginalisation and exclusion, as well as the impact of structural inequalities on their lives. These understandings go beyond standard government definitions of marginalisation that include gender, ethnicity, and place (see Johnson et al 2019). Young people also include experiences of abuse, poverty, family and living situations, and experiences of work and education.…”

“…comm. 2019) described spending significant amounts of time in the early stages of the YOUR World Research project(Johnson et al 2019) with youth and national team members, agreeing on a shared understanding of different concepts such as marginalisation, insecurity, and uncertainty. He suggests referring to children's 'views, decisions, and actions', rather than children's 'agency'.…”