This Action Research will be launched in three regions: Africa, Europe and Latin America. Slight changes in the methodology and expected results might apply as a result of the different local contexts.
The final document will reflect on the findings from these three regions and the similarities and differences between them. The project’s overarching
aim is the realisation of HIC’s fundamental mission, the creation of a world in which all can have safe, dignified, and peaceful habitat upheld by a strong civil society that fights for gender equality, equity, environmental sustainability, and the Social Production of Habitat (SPH).
The project also seeks collaboration and joint actions with the Global Platform for the Right to the City.
The main goals:
- Prepare a detailed research framework that shall serve as the basis for future data collection efforts, with respect to local conditions and contexts.
- Test, apply, and critique this framework to a single region, the data of which should be presented in a manner that can likewise be applied in future data collection efforts.
- Based on the data collected, make initial suggestions as to what lessons might be learned as to the nature and efficacy of local strategies, that might then be passed back to ATIs and LGs.
Approach to the African Region
This Action Research shall, subject to availability, cover multiple case studies in the African region of local organisations and social movements campaigning and fighting for a variety of land, housing, and other human rights related to habitat issues. The relationship between public institutions
and CSOs-GOs will also be analysed as well as the role of local governments-authorities when implementing public policies.
It shall utilise interviews with members of these organisations as well as document analysis for data collection. Interviews shall be semi-structured and largely exploratory in nature. Once initial contact has been made and basic information about the case studies established, an interview structure and schedule will be established that shall ensure the availability of all partners in the given timeframe. Having established strategies and their efficacy, an understanding of how this can be fed back into ATIs and LGs can be considered.
As well as data collection for the African region, this Action Research shall also analyse the efficacy of the research process so as to inform analyses of other regions. Logs shall be maintained of interviews and their effectiveness and shortfalls, including issues such as contact availability, ease of understanding, issues of researcher positionality and reflexivity, time and resource efficiency, and so forth. This log, alongside feedback from
interviewees and HIC staff, shall be used to critique the approach and propose a research framework for future data collection.
More information can be found on the Terms of Reference that can be downloaded clicking here.