Democratic research: Setting up a research commons for a qualitative, comparative, longitudinal interview study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Bettina M Zimmermann^{1

2}, Hendrik Wagenaar³, Katharina Kieslich⁴, Barbara Prainsack⁴, Gert Meyers^{5

6}, Alena Buyx¹, Seliem El-Sayed⁴, Amelia Fiske¹, Ilaria Galasso⁷, Susi Geiger⁸, Nora Hangel¹, Ruth Horn⁹, Stephanie Johnson⁹, Janneke M L Kuiper⁶, Federica Lucivero⁹, Stuart McLennan¹, Katharina T Paul⁴, Mirjam Pot⁴, Isabella Radhuber¹⁰, Gabrielle Samuel¹¹, Tamar Sharon¹², Lotje Siffels¹², Ine Van Hoyweghen⁶, Sula Awad⁷, Théo Bourgeron¹³, Johanna Eichinger^{1

2}, Marie Gaille¹⁴, Christian Haddad¹⁵, Sarah Hayes¹⁶, Andrew Hoffman¹², Marie Jasser⁴, Joke Kenens⁶, Marjolein Lanzing¹², Sébastien Libert¹⁷, Elisa Lievevrouw⁶, Luca Marelli^{6

18}, Fernandos Ongolly⁷, Amicia Phillips¹⁹, Clémence Pinel²⁰, Katharina Riesinger⁴, Stephen Roberts²¹, Gertrude Saxinger^{4

22}, Lukas Schlogl⁴, Franziska Schönweitz¹, Anna Sierawska¹, Wanda Spahl⁴, Emma Stendahl²³, Siemen Vanstreels⁶, Simeon Vidolov⁷, Elias Weiss⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institute of History and Ethics in Medicine, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Straße 22, 81675, Munich, Germany.
² Institute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.
³ Institute for Advanced Studies, Josefstädter Straße 39, 1080, Vienna, Austria.
⁴ Department of Political Science, University of Vienna, Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
⁵ Tilburg Institute for Law Technology and Society, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
⁶ Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven, Parkstraat 45, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
⁷ ERC MISFIRES, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
⁸ University College Dublin Business School, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
⁹ Ethox Centre and Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, OX3 7LF, Oxford, UK.
¹⁰ Research Network Latin America - Department of Political Science, University of Vienna, Universitätsstraße 7, 1010, Wien, Austria.
¹¹ Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, King's College London, Bush House North East Wing, 30 Aldwych, WC2B 4BG, London, UK.
¹² iHub Department of Philosophical Ethics and Political Philosophy, Radboud University, Erasmusplein 1, 6525, HT Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
¹³ School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Chrystal MacMillan Building, 15a George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LD, UK.
¹⁴ Laboratoire Sphere, Paris Diderot University, 5 Rue Thomas Mann, 75013, Paris, France.
¹⁵ Austrian Institute for International Affairs, Währinger Straße 3/12, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
¹⁶ Vienna School of International Studies, Diplomatische Akademie Wien, Favoritenstraße 15A, 1040, Vienna, Austria.
¹⁷ Division of Psychiatry, University College London, Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Rd, Bloomsbury, London, UK.
¹⁸ Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan.
¹⁹ Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
²⁰ Department of Public Health Øster Farimagsgade 5, P.O. Box 2099, DK-1014, Copenhagen, Denmark.
²¹ Institute for Global Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK.
²² Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Vienna, Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
²³ Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping University, Gjuterigatan 5, 553 18 Jönköping, Sweden.

PMID: 36092769
PMCID: PMC9448682
DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100158

Democratic research: Setting up a research commons for a qualitative, comparative, longitudinal interview study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Bettina M Zimmermann et al. SSM Qual Res Health. 2022 Dec.

. 2022 Dec:2:100158.

doi: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100158. Epub 2022 Sep 7.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Institute of History and Ethics in Medicine, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Straße 22, 81675, Munich, Germany.
² Institute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.
³ Institute for Advanced Studies, Josefstädter Straße 39, 1080, Vienna, Austria.
⁴ Department of Political Science, University of Vienna, Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
⁵ Tilburg Institute for Law Technology and Society, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
⁶ Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven, Parkstraat 45, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
⁷ ERC MISFIRES, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
⁸ University College Dublin Business School, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
⁹ Ethox Centre and Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, OX3 7LF, Oxford, UK.
¹⁰ Research Network Latin America - Department of Political Science, University of Vienna, Universitätsstraße 7, 1010, Wien, Austria.
¹¹ Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, King's College London, Bush House North East Wing, 30 Aldwych, WC2B 4BG, London, UK.
¹² iHub Department of Philosophical Ethics and Political Philosophy, Radboud University, Erasmusplein 1, 6525, HT Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
¹³ School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Chrystal MacMillan Building, 15a George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LD, UK.
¹⁴ Laboratoire Sphere, Paris Diderot University, 5 Rue Thomas Mann, 75013, Paris, France.
¹⁵ Austrian Institute for International Affairs, Währinger Straße 3/12, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
¹⁶ Vienna School of International Studies, Diplomatische Akademie Wien, Favoritenstraße 15A, 1040, Vienna, Austria.
¹⁷ Division of Psychiatry, University College London, Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Rd, Bloomsbury, London, UK.
¹⁸ Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan.
¹⁹ Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
²⁰ Department of Public Health Øster Farimagsgade 5, P.O. Box 2099, DK-1014, Copenhagen, Denmark.
²¹ Institute for Global Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK.
²² Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Vienna, Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
²³ Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping University, Gjuterigatan 5, 553 18 Jönköping, Sweden.

PMID: 36092769
PMCID: PMC9448682
DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100158

Abstract

The sudden and dramatic advent of the COVID-19 pandemic led to urgent demands for timely, relevant, yet rigorous research. This paper discusses the origin, design, and execution of the SolPan research commons, a large-scale, international, comparative, qualitative research project that sought to respond to the need for knowledge among researchers and policymakers in times of crisis. The form of organization as a research commons is characterized by an underlying solidaristic attitude of its members and its intrinsic organizational features in which research data and knowledge in the study is shared and jointly owned. As such, the project is peer-governed, rooted in (idealist) social values of academia, and aims at providing tools and benefits for its members. In this paper, we discuss challenges and solutions for qualitative studies that seek to operate as research commons.

Keywords: COVID-19; Comparative research; Qualitative research; Research and data commons; Solidarity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

References

1. Ansell C. Oxford University Press; 2011. Pragmatist democracy: Evolutionary learning as public philosophy.
1. Bartels K.P.R., Greenwood D.J., Wittmayer J.M. How action research can make deliberative policy analysis more transformative. Policy Studies. 2020;41(4):392–410.
1. Birch J. Science and policy in extremis: The UK's initial response to COVID-19. European Journal for Philosophy of Science. 2021;11(3):1–27. - PMC - PubMed
1. Boin A., Stern E., Sundelius B. Cambridge University Press; 2016. The politics of crisis management: Public leadership under pressure.
1. Bollier D. New Society Publishers; 2014. Think like a commoner: A short introduction to the life of the commons.

Grants and funding

V 561/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
Research Materials
- NCI CPTC Antibody Characterization Program

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Democratic research: Setting up a research commons for a qualitative, comparative, longitudinal interview study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Affiliations

Democratic research: Setting up a research commons for a qualitative, comparative, longitudinal interview study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Research Materials