This is the second publication in a series exploring the ways scholars 
can balance methodology, budgeting, and fieldwork when completing a 
research project in the African peacebuilding landscape.

Introduction 

Research methods underpin the action plan of every research project.[1] They map and outline the path a researcher takes from a research question to the evidence needed to answer that question.[2] A weak or inappropriate method in any scientific inquiry can compromise the outcome of the research. At the same time, a well-designed method can produce efficient, rigorous and evidence-based research that can yield meaningful results.[3] However, the methodological decisions are not to be made in isolation from the practical realities, as well as the institutional context, of research. This is because of the significant role of funding in field-based peacebuilding research in Africa. Consequently, budgeting needs to be seen as a component of methodological planning rather than an administrative exercise undertaken after the research design has been completed. In addition, it is imperative to note that the varied sources of funding available in Africa can shape research outcomes, as private foundations, international, and institutional funders often attach conditions to their support. Such conditions may impact the thematic focus, research timelines, scope, methodological choices, and, in some cases, influence the expected research outputs/recommendations. Therefore, African researchers must painstakingly assess not only the availability of funding but also its implications for research autonomy, ensuring that the funding requirements support, rather than compromises, the integrity of the research. This essay approaches these issues by focussing on assumptions that should aid researchers in aligning methodological choices with the financial resources available for fieldwork in African peacebuilding research. To this end, the practical dimensions of this challenge are unbundled in the sections that follow.  

Building a Realistic Fieldwork Budget 

The main consideration in planning fieldwork is to define the research objectives; evidence needed and chose an appropriate method for collecting and analysing data. Researchers must not get carried away with methodologically complex approaches and confuse sophistication with methodological appropriateness. Every method has a cost associated with it, including transportation and accommodation, research assistants, transcription and translation, and data management. An ideal budgeting plan for fieldwork should therefore emerge from a critical assessment of the feasibility of the chosen research method. 

When developing a budget for fieldwork, researchers should endeavour to account for contingencies. Fieldwork rarely unfolds as planned, especially in African peacebuilding research, where changes in budgeted costs can disrupt initial assumptions and plans. Researchers should proactively identify potential challenges at the initial stage of planning and make reasonable financial provisions for contingency. Thus, it is logical to submit that an ideal fieldwork budget is not only about expected expenditure projections but also a financial blueprint for addressing uncertainty throughout its implementation.  

Matching Research Design with Available Resources 

Designing feasible research methods while maintaining the integrity of the research process requires some flexibility in terms of allocating resources. My personal experience illustrates this point: I carried out fieldwork in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria, in relation to a research project on the Divestment of International Oil Companies and environmental issues in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. The budget initially provided for five days of fieldwork. However, prior to travelling, I made use of social media networking to contact a student of Political Science at the University of Port Harcourt, who introduced me to a tour guide withconnections to the local communities I intended to visit. 

This initial connection proved to be efficient. The fieldwork took three days instead of the five days budgeted for, since we had someone in the community who could assist with accessing and navigating the field. The experience showed me that fieldwork efficiency can be optimised not simply by reducing expenditure, but through careful preparation, and local networking. Subsequently, the findings of the research resulted in a publication in Frontiers in Political Science, a Scopus-indexed journal.[4]

Additionally, technology offers significant possibilities to match research design with resources available. Where appropriate, researchers can save on expenses by leveraging video conferencing platforms to conduct interviews with institutional or expert participants who are geographically distant. This can help to reduce costs for transportation, accommodation, and extended field visits. But technology should complement, not supplant, physical fieldwork. For instance, interviews with resident participants, especially in communities where context and lived experience of the people are crucial to the research, require physical presence. 

Strategic Cost-Saving Options When Facing Funding Limitations 

Generally, every good research plan requires resources to execute it. But for researchers, cost-saving mechanisms should not become a justification for compromising research integrity. Researchers can minimise costs by planning the sequence of field activities, utilising local networks and grouping activities, and designing them to be completed in a single field trip. 

The goal should not be to aim for the lowest research costs, but to design the most methodologically sound project that can fit within available resources, and be done ethically and responsibly. This is especially relevant in African peacebuilding research, where researchers are involved in studies of conflict-affected communities, including those experiencing, displacement, unemployment, poverty, environmental degradation, and political tension. Responsible treatment of research participants, informed consent, participant safety, confidentiality and dignity must not be compromised. A lower-cost research design may be ineffective if it sacrifices the credibility of the research or its participants. 

In conclusion, aligning research methods with budgeting for fieldwork in African peacebuilding research is a critical issue that must be planned and handled carefully, as good research needs techniques that provide credibleevidence sourced through credible methods. Researchers working on peacebuilding in Africa need to strategically prioritise aligning their research methods with the resources available to them at any point in time. 

Endnotes

  1. Aiyede, E. and Muganda, B., Public policy and research in Africa. (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003). 
  2. Creswell, J., Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). (Sage Publications, 2009).
  3. Eneanya, A., Research methods in political science and public administration. (University of Lagos Press and Bookshop Ltd, 2012). 
  4. Oni E., Fajobi M., Obafemi, P., and Okunade, S, “Global divestment of international oil companies: Beyond the Nigerian experience”. Front. Polit. Sci 8;1769928 (2026).  Doi: 10.3389/fpos.2026.1769928