Paper short abstract:

We explore a research in Bangladesh on how methodological innovations can generate rapid insights on the impacts of Covid-19 with significant policy influence. We show how local ownership can facilitate innovation, and strong policy engagement even in challenging conditions.

Paper long abstract:

Researchers in international development have a long history of conducting applied research. Much of this research has been based on conventional disciplinary approaches but has ‘gone the extra mile’ by energetically taking findings to policy audiences. One element of this applied analysis has been ‘finding out fast’ when circumstances limit the applicability of standard research methods (Thomas et al 1998). There is explicit recognition here that research for quick policy action requires different cycles were research is subject to tighter timelines, organisational priorities and politics and different information needs. Research methods must remain rigorous, but limited timescales may mean that the data may, in comparison with normal time, be incomplete; this makes it especially important that what is collected must be carefully targeted, relevant and specific to policy needs (Thomas and Mohan 2007).

The Covid-19 crisis has presented researchers with such a situation - where the novelty of challenges and speed of changes has created a crucial need for ‘up-to-date’ data to understand ‘what’ is happening, ‘what’ is being done to mitigate or adapt and ‘what’ the results of these are.

We explore the theoretical and methodological antecedents for rapid appraisal in Development Studies; identify the forms of data most needed in the present crisis; describe a successful rapid response survey in Bangladesh and analyse the key innovations that have contributed to its quality and policy relevance. In doing so we make the case that capacity to undertake rapid surveys and analysis must remain a research priority in crisis.

Paper short abstract:

To understand the impact of COVID-19 on the food security at household level in urban & peri-urban environments, a mobile phone survey was conducted & the insights reflected changing food environments and critical challenges were literacy levels, gender differences & time for responding remotely.

Paper long abstract:

Food systems, food security and nutrition during the pandemic were affected due to internal and external environmental and political dynamics. To understand the impact of COVID-19 on food security at the household and individual level, remote data collection using mobile phone was carried out in the selected locations of urban and peri-urban regions of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The mobile interviews by the trained enumerators was undertaken in local language and verbal audio consent was taken with due diligence before the onset of the interview. The data entry was done using the free online KoBo collect survey tool to go through the survey and immediately enter the data so that the database is created in real time. The critical challenges and gaps identified were: the survey form was kept short but the actual interviews were longer thereby resulting in respondent and interviewer fatigue. There were lot of passive refusals as the lower income category respondents were stressed out due to lack of employment and loss of jobs especially people worked in unorganized sectors during the pandemic. It was noted that some respondents who cooperated in the beginning of the interview and agreed to participate in the survey failed to complete the survey because of their inability to comprehend the survey questions because of low education levels. Women rarely participated in the survey due to lack of accessibility to own mobile phones and were restricted to participate in the presence of the male members in the household.

Paper short abstract:

This paper critically reflects on the use of respondent driven sampling using mobile-phones for a multi-method (survey and interviews) research project on masculinities and sexual and reproductive health in Ghana, conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paper long abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic required a pivot in methods used to carry out this research project, which explores the relationships between men, masculinities, emergency contraception and abortion care in Ghana. The methods shifted from a planned face-to-face household survey, focus groups and in-depth interviews towards a respondent driven sample survey with interviews using mobile-phone methods. The pivot was a response to the ethical imperative to follow pandemic public health advice.

Critically reflections of this methodological shift reveal key strengths and limitations. The use of mobile technology destabilised traditional and (re)produced power dynamics in research environments, by allowing respondents greater temporal and geographical control. The data collected are rich and additional details were captured effectively through the use of laptops. Typing on laptops was significantly faster than writing, and the impact of writing on respondent-researcher dynamics, such as causing discomfort, was not present due to the use of mobiles. Data collected met expectations of quality derived from the (pre-COVID-19) face-to-face pilot study, suggesting the change in methods had a low impact on the ability to effectively gather useful data.

However, such methods have significant implications on the ability for research to recentre certain marginalised populations. Mobile-phone methods require access to technologies and their subsequent structures, which can be significantly less accessible for important groups and populations.

The methodological changes allowed for a critical reflection of the strengths and weaknesses of using mobile-phones, and the future potential of this method in settings where physical proximity is either not guaranteed or unethical.

Paper short abstract:

This paper outlines the remote research conducted for my MSc Dissertation. Through exploring the adaptations adopted to adhere to current restrictions, this paper outlines the benefits, challenges and lessons learned through conducting research within the context of a global pandemic.

Paper long abstract:

Current COVID-19 restrictions have significantly impacted the ways in which development research can be conducted, resulting in researchers seeking effective physically-distanced research formats to facilitate their fieldwork. Whilst initially designed to be conducted in the field, my MSc Dissertation had to be adapted so that it could be conducted remotely. Concerned with the ways in which human-wildlife interactions are depicted in the Kenyan media landscape and the ways in which they interact with dominant conservation discourses, my research design was adapted to focus on a small cross-section of the Kenyan media landscape, including content gathered from Kenyan newspapers the Daily Nation and Sunday Nation, the American Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Africa Wildlife Foundation (AWF), and two smaller Kenyan NGOs Ewaso Lions and Lion Guardians. This paper outlines the dissertation’s use of Content Analysis, comparative Critical Discourse Analysis and Semi-structured Interviews and argues that such an approach provides pertinent insight into the ways in which discursive practices and the dominance of Western ideology in contemporary conservation limit the progressive capacity of the sector. This paper also outlines the challenges faced when conducting research remotely, including the ethical considerations when handling social media data, the challenge of developing a rapport with research participants remotely and the “Zoom fatigue” they experienced in the height of the pandemic. In doing so, this paper argues that whilst not perfect, a flexible and mixed methods approach to remotely conducted research can result in fruitful and informative contributions to field research in the developing world.