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24 - Expanding Capabilities through Participatory Action Research

from Part II - Methods, Measurement and Empirical Evidence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2020

By
Alejandra Boni  and
Alexandre Apsan Frediani
Edited by
Enrica Chiappero-Martinetti ,
Siddiqur Osmani  and
Mozaffar Qizilbash
Enrica Chiappero-Martinetti
Affiliation:
University of Pavia
Siddiqur Osmani
Affiliation:
Ulster University
Mozaffar Qizilbash
Affiliation:
University of York
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Summary

There is a growing amount of work applying qualitative methods for capability research with the objective of increasing the participation of ‘respondents’ in the production of knowledge. In this chapter we want to go a step further and illustrate how participatory approaches in research can contribute towards investigating which capabilities are valued, why certain choices are made, how capabilities are achieved and the role policy interventions can play in enhancing and generating capabilities, especially for vulnerable and marginalized groups. By drawing on the literature on participatory action research (PAR), we present our own theoretical framework to analyse and inform PAR processes from a human development and capability perspective. We named it the ‘participatory research capability cube’ due to its multidimensional perspective: (1) the expansion of the capabilities and agency of co-researchers; (2) the transformative characteristics of the knowledge produced; and (3) the democratic processes that PAR could enable both during and beyond the research process. Cross-cutting dimensions in our three-dimensional framework are issues of power and diversity. We then apply this framework to understand a PAR process in Kisumu, Kenya. We will conclude with some considerations on the suitability of our framework for a better understanding of PAR from a human development and capability perspective.

Keywords

participatory action researchPAR cubeknowledgedemocracycapabilitiesagency
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of the Capability Approach , pp. 477 - 496
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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