‘The research front knows no boundaries’: Reflections from a collaborative project involving China, India and

Norway

Erika Gubrium (HiOA, Sosialforsk)Erika.Gubrium@hioa.no

• Projects: VAM/research and UTFORSK/education

• Reflections from the field: benefits and challenges of international collaboration

Agenda

• VAM/RCN: Poverty and Shame: Perspectives and Practices Concerning Anti-Poverty Measures in a Global Context• Research focus: (In all settings) Poverty-shame nexus: its

impact reaches across the policy cycle – framing, shaping, delivery

• China, India, Norway, US, Uganda – ‘most different comparison’

• Methods: interviews and observations of delivery interactions

• Findings: mechanisms for shaming at point of delivery

The VAM project

The VAM project

• Anti-Poverty measures in a global context: An international joint PhD course and synergy network

• Building synergy between VAM project and education, as well as institutional synergy between BRICS countries (China & India) and Norway – utveksling and ‘globalised’ teaching, learning and research

• Joint, intensive PhD (evt. MA) level course(s) in Beijing and Oslo: Draw on conceptual frameworks and findings from the VAM Poverty & Shame research project and develop them further (a two-way learning process)

The UTFORSK project

• Varying expectations and abilities: research and educational practices and expectations differ (ex: Phd fellows, rigid and varying curricula, award of credits)• Conducting research and teaching in vastly different settings

– differing levels of free speech, political oversight, financial support, systems of research ethics, idea of what a contract means• The difference between proposed activities and what is

possible: challenges to reporting and budgeting!• Conceptual differences related to poverty, shame, income,

social status…

Challenges of globalising

Potential of synergy-building

• The importance of structural forankring (ex: summer schools, fitting within a pre-established programme – INCP) • Think both education and research development• Specify expectations in contract, but leave room for changes

of personnel• Establish an administrative contact at each partner institution• Reporting schemes must be flexible enough to account for

challenges of globalized models and should provide support for administrative support

Tips/Lessons learned

Thank you!

Erika Gubrium (HiOA, Sosialforsk)Erika.Gubrium@hioa.no