The purpose of the EADI methods tasks group is two-fold:

• To provide support, and support innovation in the current and next generation of EADI researchers, specifically in relation to interdisciplinary research approaches, involving the mixing of methods over time and space and at multiple scales 
• To critically explore the ways in which the methods used in development research reflect their colonial heritage and might continue to perpetuate power imbalances, in conjunction with our decolonising knowledge for development task group, while actively engaging with alternative ways of doing research (see for example, this short review paper) 

The group will draw together expertise from across the EADI membership and lead on research training-related collaborations with external partners such as MethodsNet and CERES PhD research school. 

Through regular contributions to EADI communications channels such as blogs, podcasts and webinars, we will create a space for critical thinking around mainstream development research methods and share emerging or underappreciated knowledge from other fields, including development practice, about alternative approaches. We will do this by collaborating with other organisations and networks working in this space such as, e.g. National Centre for Research Methods in the UK or the European Evaluation Society, to provide a gateway for development studies researchers to the latest methodological thinking. 

Our planned activities include participating in the MethodsNet inaugural conference in autumn 2024, developing a new podcast series on methods (our first episode will be  Alison Buckler on the use of storytelling in development research), organising a webinar part of EADI’s jubilee celebrations on Mixed methods 10 years on (revisiting some of the contributors to the 2015 edited volume Mixed Methods Research in Poverty and Vulnerability and asking them to reflect on their experiences of mixed methods research then and now, alongside early career panellists reflecting on their own practice and future directions). 

Core Questions

• Why does how we do research matter?
• How might fundamental political, material and epistemological shifts within international development affect the ways in which research is done? Specifically, how can research methodologies and ecosystems respond to the imperative to decolonise our knowledge production? 
• How can we share best practice in both innovative research methods and ensuring equitable research partnerships? 

Content

• Blogs by Task Group Members
• Podcasts by Task Group Members

Who can join?

The group is intended for researchers, research managers, and academics at all career stages, including students. Want to join? Please email laura.camfield@kcl.ac.uk