‘The research front knows no boundaries’:
Reflections from a collaborative project involving China, India and Norway
Erika Gubrium (HiOA, Sosialforsk)
[email protected]
Agenda
• Projects: VAM/research and UTFORSK/education
• Reflections from the field: benefits and challenges of
international collaboration
The VAM project
• VAM/RCN: Poverty and Shame: Perspectives and Practices
Concerning Anti-Poverty Measures in a Global Context
• Research focus: (In all settings) Poverty-shame nexus: its impact
reaches across the policy cycle – framing, shaping, delivery
• China, India, Norway, US, Uganda – ‘most different comparison’
• Methods: interviews and observations of delivery interactions
• Findings: mechanisms for shaming at point of delivery
The VAM project
The UTFORSK project
• Anti-Poverty measures in a global context: An international joint
PhD course and synergy network
• Building synergy between VAM project and education, as well as
institutional synergy between BRICS countries (China & India) and
Norway – utveksling and ‘globalised’ teaching, learning and
research
• Joint, intensive PhD (evt. MA) level course(s) in Beijing and Oslo:
Draw on conceptual frameworks and findings from the VAM
Poverty & Shame research project and develop them further (a twoway learning process)
Challenges of globalising
• Varying expectations and abilities: research and educational practices
and expectations differ (ex: Phd fellows, rigid and varying curricula,
award of credits)
• Conducting research and teaching in vastly different settings –
differing levels of free speech, political oversight, financial support,
systems of research ethics, idea of what a contract means
• The difference between proposed activities and what is possible:
challenges to reporting and budgeting!
• Conceptual differences related to poverty, shame, income, social
status…
Potential of synergy-building
Tips/Lessons learned
• The importance of structural forankring (ex: summer schools, fitting
within a pre-established programme – INCP)
• Think both education and research development
• Specify expectations in contract, but leave room for changes of
personnel
• Establish an administrative contact at each partner institution
• Reporting schemes must be flexible enough to account for challenges
of globalized models and should provide support for administrative
support
Thank you!
Erika Gubrium (HiOA, Sosialforsk)
[email protected]