Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 8, 2025
14:43
A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
Published on: January 12, 2018
12.3K
Exploring the Relationship (and Power Dynamic) Between Researchers and Public Partners Working Together in Applied
1School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom.
Frontiers in Sociology
|April 19, 2021
Summary
Public involvement in applied health research is valued but often tokenistic. True co-production requires researchers and public partners to share power equally, challenging current research hierarchies and paradigms.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Public and Patient Involvement (PPI)
- Participatory Research Methods
Background:
- Public involvement in UK applied health research is now a funding prerequisite, yet often criticized as tokenistic with an unequal power dynamic.
- Participatory methods like co-production aim to address imbalances, integrating public and scientific knowledge on an equal footing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the relationship and power dynamics between researchers and public partners in co-produced applied health research.
- To identify barriers and facilitators to establishing equal partnerships and power-sharing in research.
Main Methods:
- Thematic analysis of interviews with fourteen researchers and six public contributors involved in co-produced research projects.
- Focus on projects exhibiting features of inclusive co-produced research.
Main Results:
- Public involvement was valued, but integrating scientific and lay knowledge equally proved problematic.
- 'Co-opted relationships,' where public partners filled researcher-defined roles, were most common.
- Some equal partnerships emerged, including research initiated by public partners, but faced constraints from research hierarchies and paradigms.
Conclusions:
- Hierarchical structures and the predominance of positivist paradigms in applied health research create barriers to valuing experiential knowledge and sharing power.
- A transformation in research practices, culture, and hierarchies is necessary for genuine power-sharing.
- Adopting democratic participatory approaches, like those from the service user movement, can facilitate greater power-sharing for public partners.
Related Concept Videos
02:12Relationship Formation
43.3K
What do you think is the single most influential factor in determining with whom you become friends and whom you form romantic relationships? You might be surprised to learn that the answer is simple: the people with whom you have the most contact. This most important factor is proximity. You are more likely to be friends with people you have regular contact with. For example, there are decades of research that shows that you are more likely to become friends with people who live in your dorm,...
43.3K
01:56Ethics in Research
25.0K
Today, scientists agree that good research is ethical in nature and is guided by a basic respect for human dignity and safety. However, this has not always been the case. Modern researchers must demonstrate that the research they perform is ethically sound.
25.0K
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
223
Biopharmaceutical studies constitute a vital field aiming to enhance drug delivery methods and refine therapeutic approaches, drawing upon diverse interdisciplinary knowledge. In research methodologies, the choice between controlled and non-controlled studies significantly influences the study's reliability and accuracy.
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
223
01:27Levels of Communication II: Organizational, Public, and Group Dynamics
2.7K
Effective communication is the foundation of a good organization. Communication is the lifeblood of an organization that connects the group with messages. In an organization, communication occurs in upward, downward, and horizontal lines. Downward communication travels from the administrative and senior levels to the staff through official channels such as manuals, rules and regulations, and organizational charts. Staff members initiate upward communication, which is addressed to executives and...
2.7K
01:08Obedience
34.1K
According to obedience research, we may harm others under the forceful pressures of an authority figure (Milgram, 1974). How about if the inappropriate orders were delivered with less force? The increasing interdependence between nurses and physicians compelled Hofling and his colleagues to explore nurses’ reactions to a potentially harmful medical request made by the perceived authority figure, the doctor (Hofling, Brotzman, Dalrymple, Graves, & Pierce, 1966). In this situation,...
34.1K
01:26Equity Theory
87
Equity theory explains how our sense of fairness influences the dynamics of close relationships. Rooted in social psychology, the theory posits that individuals evaluate fairness by comparing the ratio of their contributions to the rewards they receive. Relationship satisfaction is highest when these ratios are perceived as balanced between partners, promoting mutual reciprocity and a sense of justice.Equity vs. Equality in RelationshipsEquity is distinct from equality. Fairness does not...
87