Phase One: Development of Methodology & Approach (months 1-4)

This research phase will begin and end with a full team research workshop, bringing together all core research team members and social movement counterparts. The first, which will take place in Nepal (14-21 Jan, 2018) , will collectively produce the framework, approach and foundations for the initial draft movement study and the fieldwork. The research approach will ensure a context and movement specific design that also allows for a level of commensurability to ensure the possibility for comparison and cross–case engagement. This will be followed by a period of 3 months where an initial draft background study of the respective movements will be developed in-country, to provide the foundation for the fieldwork and systematisation process. A second workshop will be held immediately prior to the commencement of fieldwork, in one of the case study contexts, to finalise the methodological approach and research instruments and feedback collectively on the draft reports. This will also provide a key moment for inter-movement knowledge exchange.

Phase Two: Field Work and Data Collection (months 5-12)

The country-based research will begin with a critical analysis of the social movement under study, through a participatory ‘systematization of experiences’ approach. The analysis will focus on the key aspects of the social movement, such as: the key agenda of social change, nature of resistance, methods of protest, reactivity and proactivity, communicative practices and strategies, protest events and protest campaigns, and conditions of opportunities and constraints/ repression (Fuchs, 2006). This will include multiple focus groups, in-depth interviews with key movement activists, review of movement documentation in order to develop detailed narratives of their experiences and processes of movement organisation. This phase of the fieldwork will end with a full research team workshop hosted by one of the social movements, where post-fieldwork reflections and initial findings will be shared, and a common framework for the data analysis and writing up approach agreed. This will also provide a forum for inter-movement/country reflection between the respective research teams.

Phase Three: Data Analysis and Write-Up of Case Studies (months 13-19)

During this period, data will be analysed and final case studies produced. This phase will end with a final full research team workshop, hosted by one of the social movements, where case studies will be presented and the framework for the findings of the final synthesis report agreed. Cross case reflections though inter-movement dialogue will provide the basis for the final synthesis report. During this period, initial dissemination in social movement and academic venues will be organised.

Phase Four: Dissemination of Case Studies & Development of Synthesis (months 20-24)

National dissemination will take place across the four country contexts, and drawing upon the 4-country case study reports and the inter-movement dialogues, a final cross-case synthesis will be developed. This will lead to a series of final project dissemination moments including a series of events organised by War on Want across the UK, and events in each of the country case study contexts, organised by the respective social movements.