The Nature of Epistemology and Methodology in Development Studies: What Do We Mean by ‘rigour’?

Epistemology and Methodology in Development Studies are a special case. Due to the nature of the subject matter, the simple transposition of generic social science concepts and methods onto developing countries is often problematic. This paper is concerned with the distinctness of development studies and what this implies for ‘rigour’ in development studies research. The paper takes a journey, stage-bystage, through the research process: specification of problem and research question(s); epistemological and ontological stance; research design; collection of data; and analysis and findings. At each stage, epistemological and methodological issues are noted that make development studies distinct, focusing the discussion throughout on what this means for ‘rigour’ in Development Studies research. It is argued that many generic concerns in social science concepts and methods are amplified in a developing country context and that this creates a heightened need for attention to ‘rigour’ in terms of research design and epistemological stance, replicability, interpretation and