Methodologies in Development Studies: An Overview

The interdisciplinary nature of Development Studies makes it hard to indicate a ‘signature’ methodology. Different development challenges bring different ideas about what the problem is (ontology) and how researchers can know about it (epistemology), as well as different research methods. The differential weight placed on the data generated by certain methods and lack of critical attention to how it was actually produced shows the importance of a focus on methodology. The chapter focuses on the types of sample and combinations of methods typically used by researchers within Development Studies to construct credible arguments around questions of policy or practice. It asks what people who generate and use Development Studies research could do to increase its rigour and relevance and how the political economy of development research funding militates against this.