'You want to deal with power while riding on power': global perspectives on power in participatory health research and co-production approaches
Author
Egid, Beatrice RRoura, María
Aktar, Bachera
Amegee Quach, Jessica
Chumo, Ivy
Dias, Sónia
Hegel, Guillermo
Jones, Laundette
Karuga, Robinson
Lar, Luret
López, Yaimie
Pandya, Apurvakumar
Norton, Theresa C
Sheikhattari, Payam
Tancred, Tara
Wallerstein, Nina
Zimmerman, Emily
Ozano, Kim
Date
2021-11-11Journal
BMJ Global HealthPublisher
BMJ Publishing GroupType
Article
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
INTRODUCTION: Power relations permeate research partnerships and compromise the ability of participatory research approaches to bring about transformational and sustainable change. This study aimed to explore how participatory health researchers engaged in co-production research perceive and experience 'power', and how it is discussed and addressed within the context of research partnerships. METHODS: Five online workshops were carried out with participatory health researchers working in different global contexts. Transcripts of the workshops were analysed thematically against the 'Social Ecology of Power' framework and mapped at the micro (individual), meso (interpersonal) or macro (structural) level. RESULTS: A total of 59 participants, with participatory experience in 24 different countries, attended the workshops. At the micro level, key findings included the rarity of explicit discussions on the meaning and impact of power, the use of reflexivity for examining assumptions and power differentials, and the perceived importance of strengthening co-researcher capacity to shift power. At the meso level, participants emphasised the need to manage co-researcher expectations, create spaces for trusted dialogue, and consider the potential risks faced by empowered community partners. Participants were divided over whether gatekeeper engagement aided the research process or acted to exclude marginalised groups from participating. At the macro level, colonial and 'traditional' research legacies were acknowledged to have generated and maintained power inequities within research partnerships. CONCLUSIONS: The 'Social Ecology of Power' framework is a useful tool for engaging with power inequities that cut across the social ecology, highlighting how they can operate at the micro, meso and macro level. This study reiterates that power is pervasive, and that while many researchers are intentional about engaging with power, actions and available tools must be used more systematically to identify and address power imbalances in participatory research partnerships, in order to contribute to improved equity and social justice outcomes.Rights/Terms
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.Identifier to cite or link to this item
http://hdl.handle.net/10713/17146ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006978
Scopus Count
Collections
Related articles
- The Social Ecology of Power in Participatory Health Research.
- Authors: Roura M
- Issue date: 2021 Mar
- A meta-ethnography of participatory health research and co-production in Nepal.
- Authors: Yoeli H, Dhital R, Hermaszewska S, Sin J
- Issue date: 2022 May
- Power Dynamics in Community-Based Participatory Research: A Multiple-Case Study Analysis of Partnering Contexts, Histories, and Practices.
- Authors: Wallerstein N, Muhammad M, Sanchez-Youngman S, Rodriguez Espinosa P, Avila M, Baker EA, Barnett S, Belone L, Golub M, Lucero J, Mahdi I, Noyes E, Nguyen T, Roubideaux Y, Sigo R, Duran B
- Issue date: 2019 Oct
- Interrogating academic hegemony in community-based participatory research to address health inequities.
- Authors: Alang S, Batts H, Letcher A
- Issue date: 2021 Jul
- Engage for Equity: A Long-Term Study of Community-Based Participatory Research and Community-Engaged Research Practices and Outcomes.
- Authors: Wallerstein N, Oetzel JG, Sanchez-Youngman S, Boursaw B, Dickson E, Kastelic S, Koegel P, Lucero JE, Magarati M, Ortiz K, Parker M, Peña J, Richmond A, Duran B
- Issue date: 2020 Jun