Within the development field, practitioners and policy-makers draw upon many different kinds of research in order to better inform their understanding of development processes and intervention design. Types of research commonly used include:
- Situation analysis: Generally, going in to a specific context as 'blank' as possible - i.e. with few preconceived notions about the nature of the interactions between and among people, institutions and ecosystems - and attempting to understand the key issues and processes relevant to the context. While generally understood to be the first stage in the project cycle, situation analyses are rarely done in great detail, often because development agencies have a preconceived idea of the type of intervention they would like to implement. Because the nature and processes of chronic poverty are so poorly understood, much initial CPRC research will be situation analysis - not imminently or directly linked to an intervention, but aiming to provide an understanding of the broader context within which chronic poverty exists.
- Needs assessment: This type of research is aimed at determining the needs of a community, usually in terms of a particular sector - e.g. health care needs or agricultural extension needs. It has some similarities to the market research done in the business world. In the context of chronic poverty research, needs assessments may be employed once a specific issue of particular relevance to the chronically poor has been identified. For instance, if a situation analysis suggested that ill health of the breadwinner is a major factor behind pushing households into chronic poverty, a needs assessment may be undertaken to determine the specific health care needs of breadwinners.
- Feasibility study: Feasibility studies are undertaken in order to determine whether a specific intervention is feasible, i.e. do all stakeholders have the required skills and resources, and will the intervention achieve the intended goals? As CPRC work is not linked directly to the design and implementation of interventions, it is unlikely that researchers will be involved in undertaking feasibility studies.
- Baseline study: Baseline studies are undertaken to develop a set of indicators from which to monitor change after an intervention or policy change. They tend to be quantitative in nature. Like needs assessments, baseline studies tend to be specifically directed towards the intended outcomes of an intervention, although it is important to take into account potential unintended consequences as well. The methodology exists for the reconstruction of baseline data where baseline studies were not conducted at the start of the intervention (Herbert and Shepherd, 2001).
- Pilot project: Pilot projects are undertaken to test an intervention on a limited scale, or in a few different ways, in order to confirm feasibility and/or to fine tune the intervention design.
- Monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessment: During and after an intervention or policy change, the situation needs to be monitored and evaluated to determine whether all stakeholders are fulfilling their commitments, and if not, why; to determine whether the intervention seems to be having the intended effects and any unintended effects; and to determine whether changes can be attributed to the intervention. Click here for more information on impact assessment. Click here for more information on monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment from the PARC (Performance Assessment Resource Centre).
- Policy analysis: Through analysing the means by which policy decisions are made and implemented, researchers can gain an understanding of the interaction between policy and outcome, and of the manner in which different actors can influence policy formation. As the CPRC has a strong policy focus, in terms of better understanding the exclusion of certain groups of the poor from the benefits of mainstream policy processes and the development of pro-poor policy options, researchers are likely to be undertaking a measure of policy analysis.
- Organisational analysis: Organisational analysis involves generating an understanding of the norms, processes and organisational culture of, for example, CBOs, NGOs, donor agencies or government departments. Organisational analysis can feed into policy analysis and other forms of research, but even in isolation a strong organisational analysis can say a lot about the manner in which an organisation understands its role and its target groups and stakeholders; if 'the poor' are targeted but the chronically poor excluded, an organisational analysis can suggest institutional reasons for this exclusion.
Each of these roles that research can play in the development process can be undertaken via any research approach and using any research method.