Beyond a Seat at the Table: What Fair Collaboration Really Looks Like

Issue 20 of Southern Lens on Development by Prof. Jane Mariara 

Development research is often judged by methodological rigor and publication quality. Far less attention is given to a more fundamental question: does it reflect the realities and priorities of the people it is meant to serve? New evidence suggests that too often, it does not. This is not merely an issue of process; it is central to the quality, relevance, and ultimate impact of global research.

PEP’s Call to Action on Southern Leadership in Development Research—an initiative designed to strengthen the voice, visibility, and leadership of Global South researchers—seeks to bring this conversation into the open.

Three months ago, in this newsletter, I examined why North–South collaborations often fall short of being equitable, focusing on funding structures, authorship norms, and agenda-setting practices. Since then, PEP research has offered deeper insights into what development economics tends to study, and what it tends to overlook.

In this issue, I highlight findings from two important papers and offer reflections from myself and PEP Research Fellow Dr. Vaqar Ahmed, on the question: What does fair collaboration look like?

What Development Economics studies, and what it misses

In First-Hand Experience, Relevance, and Coverage in Development Economics Research, Kassouf and Ronconi ask a deceptively simple question: Does development economics study what matters most to people in the Global South?

By comparing public priorities across 60 countries with two decades of development economics publications, the authors identify a clear “relevance gap”. The issues that Global South communities rank as most urgent—including inflation, unemployment, crime, HIV—receive limited academic attention. This mismatch reflects deeper structural choices about who sets research agendas and whose voices are amplified.

Just as importantly, they show that Southern researchers remain significantly under-represented in the top journals, despite being more likely to focus on these priorities. This again highlights the structural barriers that shape whose knowledge is considered worthy of global attention.

How collaboration happens, and where it breaks down

The second study I wish to highlight here, Leading the Way: Fostering Fair North–South Research Collaborations (Ahmed, Burger and Mabugu), shifts the focus from research topics to research practice.

Interviews with 26 researchers across regions show that while North-South partnerships can offer valuable exposure and networks, they often replicate old hierarchies tied to Northern institution-controlled funding:

• Southern researchers are brought into projects late and hold limited analytic roles.
• Authorship recognition remains unequal.

Yet the paper also identifies meaningful exceptions. Some researchers, particularly in parts of Asia, describe more balanced, long-term partnerships built on trust and continuity. These examples show that fairer models of collaboration are both possible and already emerging.

Together, these studies reveal structural gaps that continue to limit genuine Southern leadership in global knowledge production. PEP’s Call to Action on Southern leadership was created to shift these entrenched dynamics.

So, what does fair collaboration look like?

The evidence makes it clear that fair collaboration goes beyond participation. It requires real influence, shared ownership, and alignment with local priorities. The authors call for funders, journal editors, and institutions to rethink agenda-setting, resource control, and leadership recognition.

Over recent months, we have been using social media, short videos, and evidence highlights to broaden this conversation. To deepen it further, this edition includes reflections from myself and Dr. Ahmed, co-author of Leading the Way. In our short video, we each respond to the question: What does fair collaboration look like? Below is a summary of our perspectives, followed by the full video.

For me, equitable North–South collaboration is fundamental to the quality, relevance, and ethical grounding of global research. In the video, I reflect on how co-leadership starts with a shared vision and is sustained through trust and accountability across the entire research process.

Dr. Ahmed highlights a shared aspiration across regions to maximize the impact of joint research:

“Partnerships must be structured for deep collaboration, not just participation. This means moving beyond short-term projects to long-term relationships that build trust and shared capacity.”

He emphasizes the transformative role funders can play in ensuring that research agendas are grounded in local realities.

As PEP continues to strengthen the evidence base and advance fairer global partnerships, we remain committed to practices that value diverse knowledge, elevate lived experience, and place Southern researchers at the centre of research about their countries.

A call to the Research Community

The evidence makes it clear that achieving fair collaboration requires deliberate choices across the global research ecosystem:

• To funders: rethink funding flows. Prioritize investing directly in Southern institutions with the autonomy and trust to set locally grounded research agendas.
• To journal editors: re-examine gatekeeping norms. Broaden whose questions, methods, and expertise are recognized as rigorous.
• To researchers and institutions: design partnerships differently from the outset. Treat co-leadership, shared decision-making, and equitable authorship as non-negotiable.

Closing thoughts

PEP’s Call to Action on Southern Leadership in Development Research is both an invitation and a challenge—to move from commitment to practice. The evidence shows fair collaboration is not only possible—it already exists in pockets around the world. The real question is whether we are willing to institutionalize it.

Thank you for reading, and I welcome your reflections.

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