Supporting the TAG

Consultations
#21

Greetings.

Galvanizing more support for IATI could involve more promotion and outreach to universities and web-based platforms to present and view IATI research.

For instance, I recently completed a qualitative study of education and livelihoods in the Iraqi and Syrian refugee crisis, based exclusively upon IATI data. However, when I first proposed the project to faculty and colleagues, most people had not yet heard of the IATI. Moreover, I could not find a section on the IATI webpage where the public could view research based upon IATI data. Additionally, the TAG group has not yet posted the date for their next meeting. Ostensibly, scholars could share some of their findings at meetings like this.

Scholarships, post-docs and consultancies could also be advertised, in order for aid actors to leverage IATI data to inform decision-making and share information between and among donor agencies, INGOs and other stakeholders. Thus, I think it is important to reach out to graduate students more often and perhaps, add sections to IATI sites and homepages where people are encouraged to use IATI data for research purposes in part, through funding opportunities.

Thanks,

Kara

#22

Hi,

I recently conducted a content analysis of the narrative documents uploaded in the Open Aid Search - which is among the websites I found through the IATI. The Open Aid Search contains IATI data and in particular, is helpful for persons with no technology or programing background.

I used the data for my dissertation, which was centered upon the Iraqi and Syrian refugee crisis. The study can help aid actors recognize the extent to which data in this context is accessible via the IATI and the degree to which it can be used to examine accountability issues in the fields of adult education and livelihoods. (You may download this paper at: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/28047/)

It is my understanding that many users are focused upon quantitative methodologies and are from a technical or programming background. This is great. However, it is also vital to promote more qualitative research and include students and researchers in the examination of narrative data. The Open Aid Search is an important platform for qualitative researchers interested in the IATI and may be vital for users like me, with backgrounds in policy analysis and comparative education.

I will gladly participate in meetings and groups to promote more qualitative research, especially in regard to current and global crises.

Thanks,

Kara

#24

Thank you Siem. There are lots of sites that engender data visualization and examinations of funding allocations. These are significant areas to explore. However, Iā€™m interested in policy analysis and narrative data, so I will gladly check the site you recommended. Perhaps sites like this are useful for future research.