International Journal of Health Policy and Management

International Journal of Health Policy and Management

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

Document Type : Commentary

Authors
Kathleen P. Conte 1, 2
Marisa Zapata 2, 3
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
10.34172/ijhpm.8875
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
Coproduction
Equity
Futures Thinking
Collaboration
Participatory Research
  1. Arnstein SR. A ladder of citizen participation. J Am Inst Plann. 1969;35(4):216-224. doi:1080/01944366908977225
  2. Grindell C, Coates E, Croot L, O'Cathain A. The use of co-production, co-design and co-creation to mobilise knowledge in the management of health conditions: a systematic review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2022;22(1):877. doi:1186/s12913-022-08079-y
  3. Israel BA, Schulz AJ, Parker EA, Becker AB. Review of community-based research: assessing partnership approaches to improve public health. Annu Rev Public Health. 1998;19:173-202. doi:1146/annurev.publhealth.19.1.173
  4. Macaulay AC. Participatory research: what is the history? Has the purpose changed? Fam Pract. 2017;34(3):256-258. doi:1093/fampra/cmw117
  5. Cornish F, Breton N, Moreno-Tabarez U, et al. Participatory action research. Nat Rev Methods Primers. 2023;3(1):34. doi:1038/s43586-023-00214-1
  6. Burns D, Ospina SM, Howard J. The SAGE Handbook of Participatory Research and Inquiry. SAGE Publications Inc. September 27, 2024. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/the-sage-handbook-of-participatory-research-and-inquiry/book260608. Accessed October 10, 2024.
  7. Rycroft-Malone J, I DG, Kothari A, McCutcheon C. Research coproduction: an underused pathway to impact. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2024;13:8461. doi:34172/ijhpm.2024.8461
  8. Freire P, Ramos MB, MacedoD. Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 30th Anniversary. https://www.amazon.com/Pedagogy-Oppressed-Anniversary-Paulo-Freire/dp/0826412769. Accessed October 10, 2024.
  9. Shippee ND, Domecq Garces JP, Prutsky Lopez GJ, et al. Patient and service user engagement in research: a systematic review and synthesized framework. Health Expect. 2015;18(5):1151-1166. doi:1111/hex.12090
  10. Liang L, Cako A, Urquhart R, et al. Patient engagement in hospital health service planning and improvement: a scoping review. BMJ Open. 2018;8(1):e018263. doi:1136/bmjopen-2017-018263
  11. Conte KP, Laycock A, Bailie J, et al. Producing knowledge together: a participatory approach to synthesising research across a large-scale collaboration in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Health Res Policy Syst. 2024;22(1):3. doi:1186/s12961-023-01087-2
  12. Muhammad M, Wallerstein N, Sussman AL, Avila M, Belone L, Duran B. Reflections on researcher identity and power: the impact of positionality on community based participatory research (CBPR) processes and outcomes. Crit Sociol (Eugene). 2015;41(7-8):1045-1063. doi:1177/0896920513516025
  13. Slater L. A politics of uncertainty: good white people, emotions & political responsibility. Continuum. 2020;34(6):816-827. doi:1080/10304312.2020.1842122
  14. New South Wales Health. Aboriginal Identified and Targeted Positions. https://www.steppingup.health.nsw.gov.au/help-me-hire/Pages/Aboriginal-identified-and-targeted-positions.aspx.
  15. Zapata MA, Bates LK. Planning just futures. Plan Theory Pract. 2021;22(4):613-642. doi:1080/14649357.2021.1956815
International Journal of Health Policy and Management
Volume 14, Issue 1
2025
Pages 1-4

  • Received Date 29 October 2024
  • Revised Date 13 December 2024
  • Accepted Date 01 January 2025
  • First Published Date 04 January 2025
  • Published Date 01 December 2025