Undertaking longitudinal research in low and middle income countries (LMICs) brings a host of challenges often not present in other forms of research. Sustaining funding commitments over an extended period of time, coping with inevitable attrition in study participants, navigating complex ethical frameworks, or linking longitudinal data with other data sets – these are just some of the challenges we have encountered over 15 years of research for the Young Lives study.
This research project, funded by the ESRC, will deliver an innovative programme of methodological and operational learning to support researchers running large-scale international development studies in LMICs. A key aim is to strengthen capacity and effectiveness in the conduct of such research, while contributing to a growing community of practice in the field.