6533b854fe1ef96bd12addb1

RESEARCH PRODUCT

The CINHEKS Research Design: Taking Stock and Moving Forward

subject

description

Comparative research design, at its best, in an international project focused on a complex topic, is a dynamic, iterative and on-going process. In the CINHEKS study this proved to be the case, both by design and in several ways our team did not, nor could not, anticipate. The tensions between purposeful planning, inevitable setbacks and serendipity turned out to be one of the most interesting aspects of CINHEKS and the purpose of this chapter is to take a step back, well outside methodological convention, to holistically and critically reflect on the lessons learned during the planning and execution of the CINHEKS comparative study. This chapter is an analysis of our efforts regarding the complexities of the evolution of an international research project from its genesis to its conclusion. The authors, both members of the primary grant-writing team focus on research design and the relationship between successes beyond our wildest expectations and serious challenges we did not always fully appreciate or anticipate: And the ways in which the two ends of this spectrum are inextricably bound together.