Interview - Sabyasachi Kar

Sabyasachi Kar
Associate Professor, Institute of Economic Growth

Kunal Sen
Professor of Development Economics & Policy, SEED, University of Manchester, UK





Note: These questions are based on the research for a forthcoming book from Palgrave MacMillan:
The Political Economy of India's Growth Episodes by Sabyasachi Kar (Institute of Economic Growth, India) and Kunal Sen (IDPM, University of Manchester, UK)


Abstract of the Book
For decades following its independence, the Indian economy suffered from poor growth outcomes which famously came to be described as 'the Hindu rate'. Sometime during the late seventies or early eighties, things started to change for the better and by the second half of the 1990s and 2000s, there was a complete turnaround with India joining the small group of countries that were growth success stories. Recently, this narrative of India's emerging growth miracle came to be questioned when growth rates slowed down considerably after 2010. This book attempts to explain these distinct growth episodes in India by going beyond immediate determinants of growth like investment, export, infrastructure etc., and providing a political economy framework relating these episodes to deeper changes in the economy and polity. We argue that the transitions from one growth episode to another can be explained by the bi-directional relationship between growth outcomes and institutional arrangements, and the manner in which institutional arrangements and their transitions are determined by the political bargains struck between the elite groups in Indian society.

Q: How did this research begin and evolve in the minds of the researchers such as yourself Sabyasachi and Kunal Sen? Was Lant Pritchett’s framework/theory a thinking space you had already inhabited before this research began?
Lant's framework helps explain some of the puzzles associated with institutions and growth, particularly in developing countries. Methodologically, this framework can be tested using both cross-country evidence and country-specific case studies. Our previous work and publications were based on cross-country data and we had always planned to follow this up with country case studies, as these provide more detailed understanding of these issues. This is what led us to take up the India study.

Q: Could you tell us about the research methodology that you used for this book? How would you describe the nature of evidence and findings from this study? For the reader this is of great interest as the findings appear to offer a learning framework of practical use and experimentation (especially for policy makers) rather than evidence as the final truth
There are four distinct types of methodology that we have used in this book. The first is a statistical approach that has been used to identify the distinct growth regimes of the Indian economy in the post-independence period.  The second is a set of exploratory key-informant surveys that helped us understand the nature of informal institutions in India. The third is an analytical approach that has used existing data and literature to support our hypotheses. Finally, the fourth methodology used is a set of sector-specific and firm-specific case studies that have provided a deeper understanding of the issues.

Q:  What is the point of departure in this methodology used for this research study from previous methodologies you use? How is this different? 
The issues addressed in this book are multi-dimensional, complex and not easily amenable to quantification. We knew right from the beginning that one standard methodological approach would not throw sufficient light on them. Thus, the main departure - methodologically speaking - was the adoption of several alternative methodologies and tools to make sense of the issues.

Q:  What were the challenges you experienced (in methodology or in other areas such as capturing the attention of different audience etc.) in doing a research such as this one?
One of the most critical challenges has been to get information on activities that are either legally or morally seen to be wrong (for example rent-sharing among the elite groups and crony-capitalism) or are non-transparent by nature ("deals" between political and economic elite).

Q: What do you think would be the impact of this research? 
The cutting-edge literature on economic growth in developing countries has shifted its focus from immediate determinants like investment, exports, policy etc. to deeper factors like economic and political institutions. An analysis of the role of these deeper determinants in driving economic growth in India, has however, remained sparse. This book attempts to correct this shortcoming and will definitely encourage more contributions to this important area of study.     

Interviewed by Susan Koshy
Designer of Learning Experiences, Knowledge Translator and Curator
Innohealth Systems/Blank Canvas

Interview - Sebastian Maslow

Sebastian Maslow
Assistant Professor (Political Science) at Tohoku University




Q: How do you design/assess a methodology?
My research focuses on the role of knowledge networks, in particular Think Tanks in Japan's foreign policy process. At various levels of a policy process, problem definition and agenda setting evolve informally; this is also in the case for Japan, where the close ties between the conservative government coalitions, the bureaucracy and the corporate sector has been a defining feature for most of the country's post-war political history. Accounting for the causal impact of ideas is a complex if not impossible task for political science analysis. Hence, assessing the impact of Think Tanks in this political environment requires a command of qualitative research methods, combining in-depth interviews of Think Tank affiliates. The research design should cover longer time horizons in order to assess the changing institutional conditions under which Think Tanks yield influence. Qualitative research of this sort seeks to trace the evolution of policy ideas (my own research focuses on the recent debate over Japan's national security institutions and collective self-defense as it has evolved under the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe since 2012). A comprehensive command of Japanese language skills is required to take into account the Think Tank publications and media debates to locate Think Tanks in the interaction with government agencies in Japan's complex knowledge networks.

Q: Is your research primarily demand or supply driven?
My research is perhaps both, demand and supply driven. Supply driven means scholarship which derives from a genuine academic problem perception. As for research on Japan's Think Tank community, little comprehensive analysis exists assessing their role in the policy process. Meanwhile, the need for policy expertise and external advise has risen as Japan faces challenges to its economic and social institutions in the form of an on-going economic crisis of slow-growth and rapid demographic change. In this regard, scholarship on knowledge networks in Japan is also demand driven. Finally, the growing literature on Think Tanks and knowledge regimes in political science has yet to turn its attention on Asia.

Q: How important is academic rigour in terms of technical, economic, social, political and environmental dimensions?
Aiming at a high-degree of academic rigour across all dimensions is crucial for scholarly analysis, as only rigorous social science analysis will be granted the necessary trust for it to be of relevance in public discourse. Scholarship, as other sites of public discourse, needs to be accountable and transparent in its conduct; only by upholding the highest standards in social inquiry can academia play an important role in shaping society and holding political power accountable.

Q:  In your opinion, is consultative approach and engagement with diverse stakeholders a feasible model?
Social inquiry needs to distinguish itself from consultative engagement in social debate. Academia is influential because of its critical distance to its research objects and not because of its direct entanglement with it. The latter jeopardises public trust in social inquiry as consultative engagement comes along with the risk of losing objectivity. A clear line should therefore be drawn between social inquiry and policy advisory; scholars on both sides of policy analysis must be critically aware of their role in shaping social debate.

Thoughts - ZHU Xufeng

Thoughts from Xufeng
Professor Ph.D., Tsinghua University, China




A research methodology is chosen based on a project. We first understand the problem statement and then choose an appropriate methodology. In my opinion, there is no particular way or system to learn research methodology. Coming from an academic background we primarily depend on reading papers. I also believe that a good research is question driven not method driven.

Case Study - Lorena & Miguel

Using research methodologies to study impact evaluation of a Think Tank in Latin America

Lorena Alcazar Valdivia
Director of Research at GRADE



Miguel Jaramillo
Executive Director and Senior Researcher at GRADE

The study used qualitative and quantitative information research used in a balanced way. The methodology included:

• Generated a database of information
• Gathered survey information
• Administered a survey
• Conducted a workshop
• Conducted in-depth interviews

For more information on this study and results you can read http://www.3ieimpact.org/media/filer_public/2015/10/01/wp24-impact_evaluation_and_policy.pdf

Case Study - Shrimoyee Bhattacharya

Advantage of Pragmatic Research Methods: Case of Smart Cities Study by CSTEP

Shrimoyee Bhattacharya
Senior Research Scientist, CSTEP

Context

The announcement of Smart Cities Mission by the Government of India in 2014 had led to intense deliberations in expert and public domain. CSTEP’s research focus was on bringing better clarity regarding what is a smart city and what is the level of knowledge available globally to support the development of smart cities, whether and how it can be aligned to India’s larger national development agenda and how such an urban development model can be effectively designed on principles of sustainability.

Policy Problem 

There is a substantial knowledge gap regarding the definition and concept of smart cities which is still emerging along with immature standards and regulatory regime, and lack of evidence for success of smart city models globally. The deliberations in the Indian context also triggered opinionated positions among experts on whether such a technology driven city development model should be adopted by India which could create exclusionary development trends. Thus, there is both uncertainty of knowledge and lack of agreement of values on smart cities which has rendered it as an “unstructured” problem ((Politics and Ideas, “Doing policy relevant research – responding to policy problems”, Module 4, 2015-16).

Methodology used

The larger goal of the study was to assess the extent of knowledge uncertainty regarding the concept of smart cities and thus assess the existing urban development ecosystem in India for its preparedness with respect to the concept of smart cities. The adopted methodology for the study thus included major milestones to address these goals.  The study included extensive review of literature drawn on both theoretical and practical discourses, as well as interaction with experts and relevant stakeholders. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were deployed as that is a pragmatic way to analyse urban issues. Interacting with stakeholders was an important source of understanding subtle realities that significantly enhanced the perception gathered from secondary literature.  

Output and Outcome

The immediate research output were a set of criteria for selection of cities under the government mission, and a reference framework for smart urban development in India based on the principles of sustainable development. The process oriented interventions at the forefront of the research recommendations were developed to enable a robust and accountable decision making system at a city level. Additionally avast amount of literature referred for the purpose of this research also enabled the creation of a "Compendium of Resources" for smart cities worldwide. The larger outcome included enhancement of knowledge to create room for better informed deliberations and identification of key issues for a long-term phase that could significantly impact success of the mission.

Learning

The problem was generally viewed as more of a technological issue by many stakeholders in the initial stage of the research. This perception changed as researchers started gaining insights into the types of problems associated with smart cities. While this led to changes in the scope of the research at a later stage, adopting a pragmatic research method helped in incorporating such changes in research design. As a result, the research was able to identify ‘city governance’ as the key area seeking attention and technology as the enabler in the Smart Cities Mission. 

Read more about CSTEP’s smart cities work at: 

http://www.cstep.in/uploads/default/files/publications/stuff/6b9cb2a72ca68b2c2ab3e98ba4c5e649.pdf

http://www.cstep.in/uploads/default/files/publications/stuff/320f73a9fd318538a3d258e8dfe180e4.pdf

Case Study - Sujatha Byravan

Peri-urban Case Study

Sujatha Byravan
Principal Research Scientist, CSTEP




CSTEP is carrying out a research project that examines dynamic changes taking place in peri-urban areas in India. The two geographical areas include, Doddaballapur and Sriperambudur, which lie outside of the cities of Bangalore and Chennai respectively. Such peri-urban areas are transition zones between urbanised pockets and agricultural hinterland.  Changes in these zones are triggered by various conditions depending on the social, economic and political context. In addition, global environmental changes including climate change are also transforming these areas.

The research project is adopting a number of approaches/methods that can help gain an understanding of Doddaballapur. For example, the Geographical Information System (GIS) is used to learn about land use changes over time, analysing census data to learn about socioeconomic changes, carrying out household surveys to learn about water, sanitation, multidimensional poverty, women and their empowerment. These data and tools are being complemented by participatory appraisal methods such as focus group discussions in a couple of gram panchayats. Since climate variability and change will mainly affect temperature and rainfall, governance in this peri-urban area with regard to water and land are also being studied by CSTEP.


 After completing these analyses, we will carry out an exercise called participatory scenario development. In such a forum, some members of the community, decision makers, local leaders and experts will consider the research findings, place them in the context of the kind of future the community seeks, their challenges, and then back cast to decide what they should be doing today and in the near term to reach their goals. For instance, what kinds of policies would be needed to ensure that everyone has access to drinking water? What kinds of actions are needed? At the end of this research, we hope to gain a layered understanding, through the several different kinds of approaches we have taken, of different aspects of this taluk located outside of Bangalore. Furthermore, we hope that these findings could be used by local policy makers to better understand the problems and challenges of people living there.   

Cross Posting

Creating innovative research designs: the 10-year Methodological Think Tank case study

Katerndahl David A
Professor at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Family & Community Medicine, San Antonio, TX




Abstract

PURPOSE:
Addressing important but complex research questions often necessitates the creation of innovative mixed methods designs. This report describes an approach to developing research designs for studying important but methodologically challenging research questions.

METHODS:
The Methodological Think Tank has been held annually in conjunction with the Primary Care Research Methods and Statistics Conference in San Antonio since 1994. A group of 3 to 4 methodologists with expertise balanced between quantitative and qualitative backgrounds is invited by the think tank coordinators to serve on a 2-day think tank to discuss a research question selected from those submitted in response to a call for proposals. During the first half-day, these experts explore the content area with the investigator, often challenging beliefs and assumptions. During the second half-day, the think tank participants systematically prune potential approaches until a desirable research method is identified.

CONCLUSION:
Researchers and academic departments could use this process locally to develop innovative research designs.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6791712_Creating_Innovative_Research_Designs_The_10-Year_Methodological_Think_Tank_Case_Study