The Equity Imperative: Transforming Research Coproduction for Impact; Comment on “Research Coproduction: An Underused Pathway to Impact”

Document Type : Commentary

Authors

1 OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA

2 Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA

3 Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA

Abstract

Coproduction is not a new idea in implementation research, health research, or research in general. There is substantial scholarship that establishes its importance and provides guidance and examples for adoption. Given this, why do editorials like Rycroft-Malone and colleagues’ recent paper, “Research Coproduction: An Underused Pathway to Impact,” continue to be published, and also, necessary? In this commentary, we discuss the importance of equity—not equality—as the underlying paradigm of coproduction research. We argue that it is the incomplete understanding and adoption of this equity paradigm by researchers and their institutions that inhibit coproduction from being fully realized and thus, impactful. We offer examples of what such a paradigm shift might look like, including futures thinking that yields difficult questions that must be addressed to dismantle systemic barriers to power redistribution.

Keywords


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Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 04 January 2025
  • Receive Date: 29 October 2024
  • Revise Date: 13 December 2024
  • Accept Date: 01 January 2025
  • First Publish Date: 04 January 2025