Spotlights on Certification and farmers’ Welfare: crossing Boundaries in social scientific Research

Astrid Offermans*, Pieter Glasbergen

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    Social scientists have the freedom to adopt different methodological
    approaches when researching development. This article illustrates how
    four common social scientific methodologies (positivism, social
    constructivism, action research, and normative political theory)
    differently conceptualise the effects of sustainability certification on
    Indonesian smallholder farmers. It shows that each approach results in
    different insights, offering a web of information to practitioners. Better
    understanding the different methodologies may help practitioners to
    take position in dilemmas, not in a linear process of knowledge
    accumulation, but in an iterative process of research consultation and
    practices.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1078–1090
    Number of pages13
    JournalDevelopment in Practice
    Volume27
    Issue number8
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2017

    Keywords

    • Methods
    • Environment (built and natural) - Agriculture
    • Civil society - Partnership
    • Governance and public policy
    • SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATION
    • COFFEE
    • IMPACT

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