Strengths:
- Eliciting people's own analysis of their poverty and wellbeing provides a deeper understanding of dimensions of poverty other than income and consumption indicators. This has potential for identifying key factors of chronic poverty within and between different settings
- Understanding complexity and diversity of livelihood strategies, including impact of structural economic and political factors over time on people's impoverishment and ability to become less poor. Establishing causality. Identifying barriers to participation, factors of social exclusion and assessing social capital of different groups according to gender, age, caste, ethnicity.
- Highlighting areas for further detailed research using other methods and comparative analysis.
- Adaptability and flexibility of methods provide potential for working in emergency situations and politically difficult environments, although links with community members and entry points may need to be firmly established.
- Capacity building of local people (as well as external researchers) in participatory approaches to research, advocacy and for increased participation in policy development
- Influencing policy and practice - the in-depth and context bound nature of participatory research approaches can provide insights for policy and practical actions with high benefits for poor people in their own terms (at relatively low cost?)
- 'Scaling up' - The process of participatory research emphasises the linking of information from communities to broader policy dialogue with stakeholders including, CBOs, NGOs, local and national government officers providers, academics, trade unions, business and insurance institutions, international NGOs, donors, UN agencies.
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Weaknesses:
- Rapid data gathering for analysis out of the field. Experience has shown that for effective outcomes, preparation time, (including training and stakeholder identification) and follow up time (including dissemination and policy linking) is equal if not greater than time spent on research activities in communities.
- Generating statistical data. Although some of the methods can produce quantitative data, the focus of the approach is to provide in depth analysis within locally identified contexts. Information generated in participatory research at household level can provide insights to guide the collection and disaggregation of broader nationally and regionally generated statistical data. See "How to generate statistics and influence policy using participatory methods in research" from the Statistical Services Centre: www.reading.ac.uk/~snsbarah/sscwp.
- Comparability and generating commensurable information. Information gathered and shared in different contexts may be hard to synthesise for central planning. However, comparison of findings across a range of contexts can enable central planners to distinguish between policies that are relevant for local and national formulation and implementation.
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Practicalities and difficulties in applying participatory methods
- Raising expectations - one of the dilemmas of researchers working intensely with poor and powerless people to analyse their situation concerns mediating the stages between research and supporting those communities in taking action they have identified. Research facilitators need to express clearly the purpose of the inquiry and what role, if any, they will play in future activities. Experience has shown that people are prepared to 'risk' participating and remain enthusiastic when there is honest communication about what can (and cannot) be expected as a result of the research.
- Skills and attitudes - the accessibility and simplicity of some of the techniques makes it possible to apply them mechanistically without understanding of their use. Successful application requires good communication, facilitation and conflict negotiation skills. Users who are sensitive to local gender and power differences will bring these dimensions into analysis and reflect them in outcomes.
- There's no blue-print - choice and sequence of methods needs to be adapted to each situation. This requires good team working skills and has implications for training of researchers.
- Getting the right team - requires networking and preparation. Team building is crucial when combining local people, professionals, external researchers, government staff, decision makers
- Staying in the community - logistical practicalities if there is a high proportion of external researchers on the team
- Depth and spread - there are payoffs in terms of time, cost and outcomes in deciding between detailed research in fewer research sites and spending less time in a greater range of communities.
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