Collaboration for Impact at Scale: A Multimethod Approach for Researching Global Challenges with Goverment Partners

Akshay Mangla, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

In collaboration with: 

Vineet Kapoor, Madhya Pradesh Police Department

Gabrielle Kruks-Wisner, University of Virginia

Sandip Sukhtankar, University of Virginia

Date: May 15, 2025 from 13.30 - 15.00

Location: Copenhagen Business School, Howitzvej 60, 2000 Frederiksberg in room HOW 60 A1. 07.

Abstract 

There are growing calls within the fields of public policy, management and the allied social sciences to address global challenges and achieve societal impact through research. However, appropriate research methodologies and practical guidance for the design and execution of impact-oriented research remain underdeveloped. This talk explores the two[1]way dynamics between research and evidence generation on the one hand, and evidence translation and institutional capacity-building on the other. It draws on the experiences of an interdisciplinary collaboration with state police agencies in Madhya Pradesh, India (pop. 85 million) focusing on gender-oriented institutional reforms to combat gender-based violence and improve police responsiveness to women. Our collaboration relied on a multimethod, field-based approach that involved intensive qualitative fieldwork (ethnography, interviews and focus group discussions), a large-scale field experiment, local officer and citizen surveys and administrative data. 

The use of diverse methods and data sources helped to identify the causal impacts of reform over a large geography (i.e., the scale of impact) as well as local-level differences and variation (i.e., the scope of impact), which revealed the causal mechanisms leading to institutional change (and stasis). Moreover, the precise sequencing of these different methods  supported relationship-building with police agency partners, who were closely engaged in the co-design and execution of research. A locally-embedded field team contextualized the research process through regular input from frontline officers, which in turn facilitated the uptake of field-based evidence (e.g., through officer training and research dissemination workshops) to achieve impact. The practical difficulties of such collaboration, across disciplines and with government partners, are also explored, including the time horizon for research and uncertainty of impact