Empowering vulnerable groups through participative research: the - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Empowering vulnerable groups through participative research: the RE-InVES T proj ect

Ides Nicaise KU Leuven

The context

 Macro-economic

consolidation => austerity => increasing social exclusion in EU

 S

• cial Investment

Package as a response: ‘ investing in people’ reconciles economic and social

• bj ectives

Main Re-InVES T obj ectives

 diagnosis of the social damage of the crisis in terms of

(the erosion of) human rights, social (dis)investment , loss

• f (collective) capabilities, loss of trust

 developing a theoretical model of social investment, with

a focus on the effective promotion of human rights and capabilities

 application of the social investment model to key social

policies and services:

 active labour market policies and social protection:  Early childhood education, health care, housing, water, financial

services

 Empowering vulnerable groups of citizens through

capacity building in participatory research

Research team

KU Leuven (Ides Nicaise) CNRS-IDHES Paris (Robert Salais) SOFI Göttingen (René Lehwess) IFZ Salzburg (Günter Graf) CrIDIS UCLouvain (Jean De Munck) NUIM Manooth (Mary Murphy) Loughborough Univ. (Jeremy Leaman) Erasmus Univ. Rotterdam (M. Messkoub) TU Delft (Marja Elsinga) Hope Univ. Liverpool (Michael Lavalette) IRD Marseille (Jean-Luc Dubois) OSE Brussels (Rita Baeten)

• Univ. Geneva (J.-Michel Bonvin)

Rīga Stradiņš Univ. (Tana Lace) Beweging vzw (M. Debruyne) EAPN Portugal (Sandra Araújo) The Open Network (C. Chert) The Poverty Alliance (P. Kelly) CNCA (Cinzia Brentari)

Alliances to Fight Poverty

Re-InVEST consortium

Method: ‘ merging of knowledge’

Academic knowledge

Experiential knowledge of vulnerable people Professional knowledge of civil society organisations mixed research teams at local level

Portugal: Work France: Immigration Italy: vulnerabilities Switzerland: NEET Austria: work Romania: migration Latvia: Disability & work Germany: work Netherlands: housing Scotland: Lone parents England: Mental health Ireland: Housing Belgium: Immigration

Merging of knowledge – the experience of ATD Fourth World

 S

ince end of 1990s

 Obj ectives:

 Merging of 3 types of knowledge:

scientific, experience, action

 Certified training for ‘ activists’  Training in participatory research

for researchers

 Joint publication with thematic

research papers

A process of several years

 t hemat ic groups (work, family, knowledge…

)

 alt ernat ion of

 plenary seminars,  individual work,  thematic workshops,  ‘ peer meetings’

 Ext ensive st art up phase:

 t rust-building activities  negotiation of topics

 Wit hin t hemat ic workshops:

 Definition of research topic  Inputs of 3 types of knowledge  Joint analysis  Joint reporting

Key conditions for a genuine MoK

 Positive discrimination in the allocation of time and

resources, with priority being given to the weakest participants in the process.

 Effective investment in the research capacity of those

groups.

 Phasing in / familiarisation  Attitudes of researchers: humility, respect, patience....  Adaptation of analytical instruments and language.  Interculturally (& gender, age, etc.) sensitive approaches,

including mediation and training of all participants.

 Continuity and feedback at all stages of the research.  Dialogical and reflexive approaches.  Democratic decision-making.