What are the most pressing obstacles to development in a given country or region? And did a development policy or program designed to address these problems actually improve the wellbeing of local populations? Before we can answer these questions in an informed way, we typically first need to ask a set of prior methodological questions. For example, what do we mean by ‘development’ and ‘wellbeing’ and how much weight do we give to the opinions of experts or people on the ground in defining these concepts? And once we settled on a concept, how do we translate it into practicable measures, indicators, or interview questions? And, finally, what methods should we use to collect and analyze data (qualitative or quantitative) on the above? 

To help you navigate these and related questions, this course will provide you with a practical introduction to the range of methods and analytical approaches commonly encountered in the field of international development. Our emphasis will be on qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection, such as open-ended, structured and semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation, as well as non-field work-based methods such as archival research and big-data applications. We will further discuss common approaches to theory development and explanation, again drawing on different epistemological traditions. The merits, weaknesses, and philosophical underpinnings of available methods and approaches will be reviewed, along with the ethical and political implications of their incorporation into your research design. 

Classes will be taught in lecture/large-seminar format, complemented by six smaller break-out seminars. The teaching method will combine structured content of the type you will usually find in textbooks on social science research methods, along with practical examples and exercises from the domain of international development. Throughout, the field of poverty analysis will serve as our main example, as it offers a good illustration of how researchers have tried (and often failed) to integrate various qualitative and quantitative methods. In addition, we will encourage you to reflect on the methodological issues and dilemmas highlighted in the course by working on your own examples and case studies.

Assessment

The course will be assessed as follows: 

• 20% in class participantion (of which 40% will be based on large classes and 60% on the small seminars) 

• 40% Exam (multiple choice and open/text-based questions)

• 40% Group-based research propopsal (of which 10% will be based on in-class presentations in T.Ahyan’s class and 30% written proposal (around 2500 words).

Competences, learning outcomes and teaching activities (PDF)