‘How much do we need to know?’ On the Ethical implications of Operational Research in Humanitarian Settings

Abstract

International Non-governmental Organisations (INGOs) have long been conducting operational research (OR), which is a mode of research that follows very specific principles. In the present work, I reflect upon my experience of conducting operational research with migrants and asylum seekers in Mexico, while working for an INGO. By centring my analysis on a question that was often posed by colleagues– “how much do we need to know?” - I explore three interrelated topics. First, I look at the advantages and the ethical dilemmas that emerge from the organisation’s ambivalent role as practitioner and researcher. I then discuss how research is not only being used to evaluate programs, but also as form of témoignage, and how hierarchical research designs may incur process of othering. I follow with an appreciation of how surveys implemented in such contexts contribute to framing migrants’ experiences according to pre-determined categories of trauma and suffering.