Knowledge Matters: The Potential Contribution of the Coproduction of Research

Diana Mitlin (), Jhono Bennett, Philipp Horn, Sophie King, Jack Makau and George Masimba Nyama
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Diana Mitlin: University of Manchester, Manchester and the International Institute for Environment and Development
Jhono Bennett: 1to1/University of Johannesburg
Philipp Horn: University of Sheffield
Sophie King: University of Sheffield
Jack Makau: SDI Kenya
George Masimba Nyama: Dialogue on Shelter

The European Journal of Development Research, 2020, vol. 32, issue 3, No 5, 544-559

Abstract: Abstract The purpose of this paper is to share our experiences—as academics and professionals—in coproducing knowledge to improve urban development outcomes in the global South. The focus of the paper is on urban research and practice, a field in which academic work influences policy and programming, and professional knowledge (validated and certified by academic institutions) forms the basis for urban planning and management. Collaborative research coproduced with social movement activities highlights that four issues need to be addressed to establish more equitable relations. First, alternative theories of change about how research leads to social transformation must be recognised, even if they cannot be reconciled. Second, the contribution of social movement leaders to university teaching needs to be institutionalised. Third, the relative status of academics vis-à-vis non-academics must be interrogated and better understood. Fourth, the accountabilities of the researchers to the marginalised need to be established. We argue that academics are insufficiently self-critical about the power dynamics involved in knowledge production with social movements. And that long-term relations enable understandings to be built and some of these tensions to be alleviated. Our conclusion highlights the unequal power relations that under-pin these challenges and suggests some steps to address these inequalities and their negative consequences.

Keywords: North-South research; Collaboration; Power dynamics; Urban social movements; Epistemology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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DOI: 10.1057/s41287-020-00277-w

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