Loops and Building Blocks: a Knowledge co-Production Framework for Equitable Urban Health

Abstract

This paper sets out a structured process for the co-production of knowledge between researchers and societal partners and illustrates its application in an urban health equity project in Accra, Ghana. The main insight of this approach is that research and knowledge co-production is always partial, both in the sense of being incomplete, as well as being circumscribed by the interests of participating researchers and societal partners. A second insight is that project-bound societal engagement takes place in a broader context of public and policy debate. The approach to co-production described here is formed of three recursive processes: co-designing, co-analysing, and co-creating knowledge. These ‘co-production loops’ are themselves iterative, each representing a stage of knowledge production. Each loop is operationalized through a series of research and engagement practices, which we call building blocks. Building blocks are activities and interaction-based methods aimed at bringing together a range of participants involved in joint knowledge production. In practice, recursive iterations within loops may be limited due of constraints on time, resources, or attention. We suggest that co-production loops and building blocks are deployed flexibly.

Synthesizing the links between secure housing tenure and health for more equitable cities

“…Researchers listened and gained perspectives on policy and economic priorities, social dimensions, and equity issues for cities. Detailed information about the knowledge co-production exercises and outcomes are published elsewhere (Audia et al, 2021).…”

A perspective on urban health systems and research for equitable healthcare in Africa

“…Implementation of this framework in Ghana, for example, showed that it is a time and resource consuming approach and as such, clarity on the value proposition of all participants will be necessary for continued engagement. 27 …”

“…Implementation of this framework in Ghana, for example, showed that it is a time and resource consuming approach and as such, clarity on the value proposition of all participants will be necessary for continued engagement. 27 As integrated multisectoral approaches for the development and implementation of urban health policies are adapted in African nations, adequate exchange and coordination could help reduce duplication while creating room for synergy and ensuring that available resources are maximised. 24 Likewise, urban health governance must be effective and inclusive, ensuring all actors work together to achieve the overarching urban health system goals.…”

“…The coproduced knowledge framework guides decisions and serves as a benchmark for assessing policy or project impact. Implementation of this framework in Ghana, for example, showed that it is a time and resource consuming approach and as such, clarity on the value proposition of all participants will be necessary for continued engagement 27…”

Ideas and Methods in Person-Centered Outcome Metrology

“…• Second, instead of perpetuating the failed assumption that objective reality somehow automatically propagates itself into shared languages and common metrics for free, we acknowledge and leverage networks of actors who agree on the objectivity of repeatable and reproducible structural invariances, and who collaborate in bringing those invariances into distributed measurement systems, usually at great expense, but also with proportionate returns on the investments [5,13,17,37,43,45,47,48,54,68,69,72,77,120]. • Third, instead of using vaguely defined terms and policies to promote patient engagement and the improved outcomes that follow from informed patient involvement, we advocate defining it by mapping it, calibrating it, explaining it, and individualizing the navigation of it [16,86,105,112,132].…”