Doing International Research

Christopher Williams (AGSM, PhD, FRSA) is an independent academic, and visiting Fellow at the University of London (Institute of Education). He has also held posts at the universities of Bristol (Medical School), Birmingham (College of Social Science), Cairo (Conservatoire of Music), Cambridge (Global Security Programme), London (Education and Development), and the United Nations (Leadership Academy).  Originally a professional trumpeter, his international interests started with a student visit to USSR in 1972 (without his parents’ knowledge), across the Berlin Wall to Warsaw Pact countries in 1973, and then to Communist China. From 1980, he worked at Cairo University, to replace Soviet staff thrown-out in response to the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, and experienced the assassination of Sadat and dictatorship of Mubarak. He then broke boycotts to work in apartheid South African, setting up projects for street children. Later he joined the United Nations Leadership Academy in Jordan, but had to leave during the build-up to the US/UK occupation of Iraq.  His other books include Researching Power, Elites and Leadership (Sage); Leadership Accountability in a Globalizing World; Environmental Victims - New Risks, New Injustice; Invisible Victims - Crime and Abuse against People with Learning Disabilities; Terminus Brain - The Environmental Threat to Human Intelligence. He has written for the Times Higher, Korea Herald and China Daily, and has discussed his research on BBC TV and radio, government TV in Kazakhstan and Korea, and at the British House of Commons and UN Palais des Nations.

This book is true to the ethos it claims to present, focusing on values such as ‘thinking without borders’, and ‘seeing through the eyes of others’. It is innovative in its approach to world research, which makes it a necessary and welcome contribution to the field.

• PART ONE: UNDERSTANDING WORLD RESEARCHChapter 1: Understanding world knowledgeChapter 2: Theories and concepts in world researchChapter 3: Searching and reviewing world literaturePART TWO: PLANNING THE STUDYChapter 4: Research design and logisticsChapter 5: Research ethics and integrityChapter 6: Choosing research frameworksPART THREE: DOING THE RESEARCHChapter 7: Data managementChapter 8: Researching peopleChapter 9: Researching populationsChapter 10: Researching placesChapter 11: Mapping placesChapter 12: Analysing world systemsChapter 13: Analysing official documentsPART FOUR: USING THE FINDINGSChapter 14: Further analysisChapter 15: Reporting the research