Busara 183d ago

Research in global development is never simple. For researchers, it is a balancing act of methods, evidence, and design. For communities, it often means navigating trust, participation, and how their voices shape the outcomes. In this video, we ask: what is overrated, what is underrated, and what is complicated in research? From citizen ethnography to traditional tools like surveys, focus groups, and randomized controlled trials, the discussion explores what works, where gaps remain, and how power dynamics shape the story data tells. The workshop and video were funded by UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) and brought to life by filmmaker Jaskaran Singh supported by Busara’s Michael Onsando and Stephen Ndirangu as part of our project Enumerating Development, funded by the British Academy and carried out in partnership with the University of East Anglia through Ben Eyre and Ben Jones. Watch the full video to hear perspectives from Mario Schmidt, Lise Woensdregt, Pamela Wadende, Brian Simiyu, Joel Wambua, Mark Laichena, Fiona Gideon Achi and Adoch Dora Komakech. You can read more about citizen ethnography in our groundwork on the link below: https://busara.global/our-works/citizen-ethnography-co-producing-evidence-for-development/