In 2015 Robert Chambers advanced the idea of inclusive rigour for research and evaluation in response to complexity. Building on this and other resonant concepts, this session shows how the idea has been adapted and operationalised through experiences of research and evaluation practice, and invites participants to reflect on its use in their own work.
Problematising the very notion of ‘rigour ‘is at the heart of broadening views of what constitutes valid evidence to inform programming and practice. As development and social change programming embraces complexity and pursues social and environmental equity, simple, linear and positivist notions of rigour are no longer fit for purpose.
Criteria such as timeliness, inclusiveness, triangulation, actionability are now emerging as central to action-oriented research and evaluation endeavours in diverse sectors. Robert Chambers shared an alternative narrative in on ‘inclusive rigour’ in 2015. This session reflects on how these ideas have been taken up, adapted and used in different contexts. It will
- Presents experiences of inclusive rigour through three mini case studies of practice in the context of Sanitation, Peacebuilding and Child Labour programming
- offers a space for dialogue around the relevance of these concepts for participant’s own work through discussions in breakout rooms
- offers reflections on the ongoing significance and future opportunities of inclusive rigour
Speakers
- Marina Apgar, Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies
- Stephen Gray, AdaptPeace
- Jamie Myers, Institute of Development Studies
- VR Raman, WaterAid India
Chair
- Danny Burns, Research Fellow, IDS
Key contacts
