Qualitative research and the evaluation of development impact: incorporating authenticity into the assessment of rigour

Susan Johnson, Saltanat Rasulova

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Citations (SciVal)
1362 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Renewed attention is being paid to the quality of qualitative research in studies of development impact in the wake of intense debate over the role of randomised control trials. These debates raised the bar over quality while also provoking concerns about whose voices matter and the politics of evidence-based policy making. This paper argues that both of these issues can be addressed through Guba and Lincoln’s trustworthiness criteria, and particularly the principle of authenticity which was developed to respond to demands for research to be transformative and emancipatory. Adopting these criteria in commissioned evaluations as checklist ‘artefacts’ are a means to improve rigour and raise ethical standards.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)263-276
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Development Effectiveness
Volume9
Issue number2
Early online date12 Apr 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Qualitative research and the evaluation of development impact: incorporating authenticity into the assessment of rigour'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this