Workshop For TAs/RAs & Graduate Students Presents: .

Workshop For TAs/RAs & Graduate Students

Presents:Presents:

http://www.aucegypt.edu/academic/clt

RESEARCH SKILLS

Professor Pandeli M. Glavanis (PhD)

Associate Director, CLT

Professor Pandeli M. Glavanis (PhD)

Associate Director, CLT

Workshop Structure

o Research Skills & Techniques

(Problem Of Assumptions)

o Awareness of Research Environment

o 5 MINUTE BREAK

o Research Management

All Examples Are Extracted From

FINDING OUT FAST:

INVESTIGATIVE SKILLS

FOR

POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT

A THOMAS, J CHATAWAY & M WUYTS SAGE PUBLICATIONS, LONDON, 1998

FINDING OUT FAST:

INVESTIGATIVE SKILLS

FOR

POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT

A THOMAS, J CHATAWAY & M WUYTS SAGE PUBLICATIONS, LONDON, 1998

Research Skills & Techniques (Problem Of Assumptions)

Awareness of ResearchEnvironment

Research Management

Workshop Structure

A.Zimbabwe Cooperatives

B.Land In Mozambique

C.Problem Of Assumptions

I. Research Skills

The Ability To Recognize And Validate Problems

Knowledge Of Recent Advances Within One’s Field And In Related Areas



Research Management

Workshop Structure




A. Zimbabwe Cooperatives

BACKGROUND:Coop movement was in trouble & foreign NGO wants to help–commission research.

EXAMINE:Tension between government & coopmovement; ways in which foreign NGOs might provide further funding withoutIncreasing tension with government.

ASSUMPTIONS:Government bureaucracy had turned hostile despite political rhetoric.



Research Management

Workshop Structure




Discussion

What Is The Research Problem ?

What Is The Research Question ?

How Do You Validate It ?

What Theoretical Context ?

What Background Knowledge ?



Research Management

Workshop Structure




Research In Zimbabwe

Most coops were in fact in serious trouble;

Many government officials were hostile;

Foreign NGOs had created dependency;

BUT ALSO FOUND OUT THAT

A few successful coops which operated as commercial entities

Problem of attitude: All saw coops as political, charitable

social organisations;



Research Management

Workshop Structure




More Assumptions

Coops were passive recipients of charity from foreign NGOs;

AND

Business sector was hostile to coop movement



Research Management

Workshop Structure




New Research Question

How Can Foreign NGOs Help Coops To Become:

- Politically and commercially independent - Make best use of government and business resources;

i.e. break dependency on foreign NGOs



Research Management

Workshop Structure




B. Land In Mozambique

BACKGROUND:Peasants are being pushed off the land and afraid to talk about it. Foreign NGOs concerned.

EXAMINE:How to use public international pressure to stop it. Foreign NGO commissions research.

ASSUMPTIONS:Peasants cant defend themselvesGovernment uninterested in peasant plightNo public debate on issue



Research Management

Workshop Structure




Discussion

• WHAT IS THE RESEARCH PROBLEM?

• HOW DO YOU VALIDATE IT?

• WHAT IS THE RESEARCH QUESTION?

• WHAT THEORETICAL CONCEPT?

• WHAT BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE?



Research Management

Workshop Structure




Research In Mozambique

Government has already established National Land Commission to draft revisions to law to safeguard peasant rights;

Several local NGOs raising public awareness of the issue; and

Local NGOs successful in helping some peasants defend their rights. (i.e. struggle to stop expropriation)



Research Management

Workshop Structure




New Research Question

How to assist and influence the work of

the National Land Commission?

How to assist local NGOs to fight more

cases of expropriation?



Research Management

Workshop Structure




C. Problem Of Assumptions

Enter crowded airport lounge; See one empty chair & I go to sit when I

notice someone spilt a drink on the cushion;

I don’t have anything to wipe it so I sit on table;

Another passenger comes along, looks at chair and turns the cushion over and sits.

WHY DID I WHY DID I NOT NOT

THINK OF THINK OF THAT?THAT?



Research Management

Workshop Structure

A.Famine

B.Global Worming

C.Genetically Manipulated Organisms

II. Research Environment

Show a broad understanding of the context, at the national and international level, in

which research takes place



Research Management

Workshop Structure

A.Famine

B.Global Worming


A. Famine

Famine is due to a shortfall in available food

In most famine areas food was being exported during famine.

How can this happen?

PARADOX



Research Management

Workshop Structure

A.Famine

B.Global Worming


Analytical Framework

WHAT DOES IT INVLOVE TO “EXPORT” FOOD?

WHERE IT IS “EXPORTED” TO? WHO DOES IT? WHY DO THEY DO IT? WHO GETS IT? WHY DO THEY GET IT?

MARKET ECONOMYMARKET ECONOMY



Research Management

Workshop Structure

A.Famine

B.Global Worming


Answer To Paradox

Amartya Sen (Nobel Laureate in Economics) has published extensively on the subject and showed – from extensive research – that:

Market mechanisms (purchasing power)(purchasing power) usually attracts food to wealthy urban areas and away from rural famine areas who in fact produce the limited food.



Research Management

Workshop Structure

A.Famine

B.Global Worming


B. Global Worming

Dispute between: World Resources Institute in Washington Centre for Science & Environment in India

WRI argues that China and India (as countries) emit more CO2 than the EU or Canada.

CSE challenged the results



Research Management

Workshop Structure

A.Famine

B.Global Worming


IS IT SIGNIFICANT THAT WRI RELIES ON “COUNTRIES”“COUNTRIES” FOR ITS ANALYSIS?

IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE “UNIT”“UNIT” THAT CAN BE USED?

WHERE DOES CO2 COME FROM?

WHO PRODUCES IT?


POPULATION & WEALTH POPULATION & WEALTH



Research Management

Workshop Structure

A.Famine

B.Global Worming


CSE Challenge

Emissions should be calculated according to population size and by country,– Thus China and India are well below

the EU and Canada in global league table.

and Luxury emissions should not be

compared to survival emissions.– Driving to the shops vs. fuel for

cooking

IMPLICATIONS FOR GLOBAL POLICY?IMPLICATIONS FOR GLOBAL POLICY?



Research Management

Workshop Structure

A.Famine

B.Global Worming


C. Genetically Manipulated Organisms (GMOs)

Third World Network (TWN) a Malaysian NGO is trying to influence global policy on GMOs

TWN makes use of scientists from GMOs producing countries who are opposed to GMOs to support their case

IS THEIR METHODOLOGY OK?IS THEIR METHODOLOGY OK?



Research Management

Workshop Structure

A.Famine

B.Global Worming



WHAT ARE KEY ISSUES IN GMOs ? WHO IS AFFECTED? WHY IS TWN INVOLVED IN CAMPAIGN? WHY USE SCIENTISTS? WHO ELSE COULD THEY USE? IS IT A SCIENTIFIC ISSUE?

SCIENCE vs SOCIETYSCIENCE vs SOCIETY



Research Management

Workshop Structure

A.Famine

B.Global Worming


Science Is Not Always The Answer

The use of such scientists may give scientific credibility to TWNs argument

BUT

Turns the entire GMO debate into a technical debate

THUS RISK IS TECHNICALRATHER THAN SOCIAL IN NATURE

THUS RISK IS TECHNICALRATHER THAN SOCIAL IN NATURE



Research Management

Workshop Structure

III. Research Management

Apply effective project management through the setting of research goals, intermediate milestones and prioritization of activities

USING PROJECT MANAGEMENT

METHODLOGY

USING PROJECT MANAGEMENT

METHODLOGY

5 MINUTE BREAK

Workshop For TAs/RAs & Graduate Students Presents: .

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