Further Particulars
This document includes information about the role for which you are applying and the
information you will need to provide with the application.
1. Role details
Vacancy reference:
8035
Job title:
Research Associate in Co-operative Resilience
Reports to:
Professor Hazel Johnson
Salary:
£30,122 - £35,938 depending on experience
Terms and conditions:
Research Staff
Grade:
AC2
Duration of post:
12 months contract expected to commence on
3 September 2012
Working hours:
Full time
Location:
Walton Hall, Milton Keynes
Closing date:
noon Thursday 28 June 2012
Interviews:
Expected to take place on Friday 20 July 2012
Type of application form accepted:
Full
Number of referees required:
3
Unit recruitment contact:
Staffing Assistant, email
MCT-Staffing@open.ac.uk or
phone +44 (0)1908 654161
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2. Summary of duties
The post holder will be expected to collaborate with the research associate based at the UK
Co-operative College in Manchester and other members of the team to:


Work on and help to write a background concept paper
Prepare and carry out fieldwork on case studies of co-operatives in Uganda, involving
face-to-face interviews, focus groups, analysis of grey literature (including co-operative
accounts)



Carry out additional fieldwork on market linkages and legal and policy frameworks
Analyse and interpret data from fieldwork
Co-produce publications based on the data, for example, a conference paper, a jointly
authored article, policy briefs, a booklet for the Co-operative College, materials that
can be used as electronic open educational resources
 Produce information for, and keep web-site pages, up-to-date.
The Research Associate will be expected to contribute to the research described in Section 5
below. Researchers should have finished their doctoral studies and possess knowledge and
experience of a range of research methodologies.
The appointment will be made on the basis of a single full time, 12-month contract.
3. Person specification
In considering the application the Panel will be looking for evidence of the following
characteristics.
Essential Characteristics (not in order of priority)
Candidates should be able to provide evidence of the following:
1. A completed PhD in a relevant subject area;
2. Excellent knowledge of relevant social science methodologies;
3. Experience of working on one or more of the following areas: qualitative fieldwork in
Africa; producer organisations; rural development/rural economy; value chains;
4. Good writing and presentation skills, and able to write for a range of audiences (e.g.
web-based information/materials, policy briefs, academic papers);
5. Ability to work in collaborative teams and with different stakeholders;
6. Good networking skills.
7. An understanding of equal opportunities and diversity in the work place.
Desirable characteristics
8. Experience of producing policy relevant work;
9. Experience in using Nvivo;
10. Experience of publishing research and/or writing up project reports;
11. Experience of working with the co-operative sector.
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4. Role specific requirements e.g. Shift working
Prepared to travel between Milton Keynes and Manchester as well as to Uganda to do
fieldwork.
5. About the project and unit/department
INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT
Understanding rural co-operative resilience in Uganda: a pilot study
The current global financial and economic crisis – at present largely centred in the North raises concerns about the impact on low income populations in the South. It has been argued
that the global financial crisis, credit crunch and consequent decline in demand for
developing country exports will in particular squeeze small and medium entrepreneurs who
engage in international markets (Naudé, 2011:45). A resultant decline in their incomes will in
turn reduce internal demand for products and services. In rural areas, these issues are
compounded by the impact of climate change on livelihoods (World Bank, 2010). Not
surprisingly, a recent conference on agricultural productivity and food security in Africa has
called for new approaches, institutions, players and partnerships (Fan, 2011), and for
strengthening farmers’ organisations (Jones, 2011).
The changes in the global economy and the financial crisis thus require new thinking about
models of social and economic organisation and about how to promote resilience. What
makes resilient social and economic organisation is the central aim of this pilot project, which
will investigate the apparent resilience of the rural co-operative model in Uganda. We have
taken Uganda as our research site as co-operatives are now growing rapidly in number,
including in areas where they had previously been decimated by a combination of internal
conflict (Vargas Hill et al, 2008) and withdrawal of state support (Develtere et al, 2008).
During the past decade there has been a twenty-fold increase in the number of co-operatives,
largely independent of government support, in sectors as diverse as agricultural marketing,
industry, energy, water, furniture-making, housing and finance. How do we understand this
dynamism, resilience and growth in numbers? Does the co-operative model and the form of
its regeneration in Uganda demonstrate resilience, and, if so, what are its characteristics?
The project has particular significance for policy in sub-Saharan Africa where many of the
world’s poor are located. We focus on the agricultural sector because rural areas are where
most of the poor still reside, and because of the increasing importance of agriculture and food
security in the context of wider changes in the global economy (World Bank, 2008). Using
perspectives from co-operative, development and innovation studies, the project will deliver
empirical results of use to a wide range of stakeholders in the co-operative movement,
governments and donors, as well as companies wishing to develop closer links with suppliers
of food and other agricultural products. The research will also add to understandings of
resilience, a current topic of academic debate.
The proposal is informed by discussions with the Uganda Co-operative Alliance (UCA) and
the Uganda Co-operative College and is a unique partnership between the Open University
(OU) and the UK Co-operative College (UKCC) with strong support from the UCA. It involves
joint fieldwork by researchers in the two institutions leading to research and policy outputs
which will be part of debates at events in the UK, Uganda and European Commission during
and after the UN International Year of Co-operatives in 2012. It will also provide case studies
for Open Educational Resources (OERs), as well as peer reviewed articles.
The challenge and objective of this study is to get inside the co-operative black box and
research whether and in what ways co-operatives are resilient social and economic
organisations. The overarching research question is: Does the co-operative revival in
Uganda present new models for the equitable and resilient organisation of production
and marketing amongst low income farmers (and potentially, therefore, for other low
income groups)?
It is hypothesized that co-operative resilience is based on the following dimensions of human
capacity to act:
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(i) values and principles which support trust-building, social inclusion, equity and cohesion as
well as growth of members and income
(ii) a formalised structure and framework enabling the development of collective capacities
and skill areas
(iii) the development of expanded market networks, leading to the capacity to innovate.
The project will focus on the relationships between primary co-operatives, co-operative
unions (including the new Area Co-operative Enterprises [ACE]) as well as wider market
networks and legal and policy frameworks in the government and Uganda Co-operative
Alliance. On one hand, the research will investigate the potential of these relationships to
provide technical support, enhance market knowledge and marketing capacity, promote
diversification, and stimulate process and product innovation and function upgrading
(Kaplinsky and Morris, 2001). On the other, it will examine internal social dynamics in relation
to the distinctive dimensions of co-operative organisation (democratic principles and values),
what kinds of relationships are established between members, and between the different
levels of co-operative organisation, in particular looking at whether and how these dynamics
lead to equity as well as growth outcomes.
The above hypothesis will be subject to pilot investigation by using a case study approach,
with the aim of deepening understanding through close analysis of organisational and
network dynamics, innovation dynamics and equity issues. The study will focus on three
cases of agricultural marketing (agricultural marketing accounts for 55% of co-operative
activity in Uganda [UK Co-operative College, 2011:3]). The three cases have been selected
in consultation with the UCA (and have the agreement of the co-operatives themselves) to
enable a degree of comparison of historical and current experience, as well as sector
differences. The cases are differentiated by sector - two are single product focused while the
other has diversified; correspond to different organisational forms/size - one is a union, one a
federation of unions and one an Area Co-operative Enterprise (ACE); are of relatively recent
origin although have historical antecedents; and are all based in South-Western Uganda,
where co-operatives suffered during the period of civil strife during the 1980s, but where
there is now co-operative regeneration. The cases are:
 Ankole Coffee Producers Co-operative Union (ACPCU): established in 1998 (formal
registration 2006); agricultural marketing for 13 primary co-operatives and 4,465
coffee smallholders
 Uganda Crane Creameries Co-operative Union (UCCCU): established in 2005 out of
the earlier Western Uganda Dairies Association (WUDA); a federation of 8 District
Co-operative Unions for agricultural (dairy) marketing, involving 15,000 dairy farmers
and serving over 100,000 dairy farmers through market linkages

Ruhinda Area Co-operative Enterprise (RACE): established in 2009; agricultural
marketing of honey, coffee and banana beer for 8 village-based co-operatives
Case study comparison will aim to identify whether the hypothesis above has some validity
(theoretical replication – Yin, 1994) or whether there are other dimensions that suggest a
strong potential for resilience. This approach will enable theory development around the
concept of social and economic resilience, and the findings will help to inform co-operative
policy both in Uganda and more widely in other low income contexts.
The project will take place over a period of 12 months. The first quarter will focus on a
consolidated literature review and conceptual framing, leading to a concept note for the
project and fieldwork design and organisation. The project team will also create web pages
for the project, with links to the two host institutions.
The second quarter will be focused on the fieldwork. There will be two research associates,
one at each institution, which will enable the fieldwork to be carried out effectively during this
time. Each associate will take on one of the smaller cases while both will work together on
the federation of unions, UCCCU, as well as data gathering at UCA, donor organisation and
government levels. The employment of two research associates will support career
development and build research capacity in both institutions.
The third quarter will involve data analysis and the production of some early outputs from the
research. The latter will include: policy briefs; initial drafts of case studies that can be used for
Open Educational Resources. (The UKCC is developing its OER capacity and the OU has a
large and popular OpenLearn web-site which gains millions of visitors worldwide.) These
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case studies will also be able to feed into curriculum materials for the Co-operative Colleges
in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
The final quarter will see the drafting of two jointly authored academic papers, one directed at
a cooperative studies journal and the other directed at a development studies or development
and innovation journal, depending on the findings. The research associates will also draft a
booklet for the UKCC development series, along with other dissemination events planned in
the UK, Uganda and with Coops Europe and the European Commission. The project team
will aim to conceptualise a new research proposal during this period to build on the research
findings.
INFORMATION ABOUT DEVELOPMENT POLICY AND PRACTICE
Development Policy and Practice (DPP) is the main centre in The Open University for
teaching and research in international development. DPP shares concerns and aspirations
for sustainable futures. Based in the Faculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology
(MCT) it is committed to building bridges between practitioners of development and those
who study development processes, by bringing academic debate closer to people working on
development all over the world.
DPP’s aims are to:
 Extend the boundaries of academic scholarship and understanding of development;
 Provide a global and interdisciplinary perspective on development which links theory
and practice;
 Enable a wide audience to study development and development practice by
supported open learning;
 Build on our considerable research strengths, undertaking and promoting high quality
research on a range of issues relating to international development.
Development Policy and Practice was set up in 1984 as an inter-disciplinary group committed
to teaching, research and policy-oriented activity in several areas of Development Studies.
DPP has recently grown rapidly as an area of teaching and research in The Open University,
working in collaboration with a wide range of nationally and internationally based individuals
and organizations.
DPP comprises a full-time core group, and has members and associates from other
departments with the University, as well as from universities, research organizations and
NGOs around the world. Faculty members combine diverse interests, expertise and
experience, which inform research and the production of inter-disciplinary courses for
undergraduates and postgraduates in Development Studies and Development Management.
Staff also supervise full-time and part-time research students in areas that enhance the work
of the group as a whole.
DPP is the OU home of Innogen, and hosts the university’s International Development
Centre, a major inter-faculty initiative to integrate interdisciplinary research in international
development. DPP is also a key member of the inter-faculty Innovation, Knowledge and
Development Research Centre.
Core Activities of DPP
DPP provides a central location for the development of teaching materials and the coordination of research on international development. The activities of DPP are clustered in
four main areas:
The production and delivery of undergraduate supported open learning courses in
international development and contribution to courses in relation areas.

A programme of postgraduate supported open learning in development
management, including course production and global delivery both on-line and
through partnerships.

The development of innovation, inter-disciplinary research, involving approaches
which combine both methodological development and policy-oriented investigation in
international development.
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Partnership, dissemination and networking, including the provision of consultancy
services to international and national development agencies, the dissemination of research
through seminars, inter-institutional workshops, conferences and teaching activities, and
international partnerships aimed at capacity-building in supported open learning and the
management of development.
6. How to obtain more information about the role or application process
If you would like to discuss the particulars of this role before making an application please
contact Prof Hazel Johnson by email: h.e.johnson@open.ac.uk.
If you have any questions regarding the application process please contact the Staffing Team
on +44 (0) 1908 654161 or email MCT-Staffing@open.ac.uk.
7. Where to send completed applications
Please ensure that your application reaches the University by:
noon Thursday 28 June 2012.
Email your application to:
MCT-Staffing@open.ac.uk
Or post it to:
The Staffing Assistant
Faculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology
The Open University
Walton Hall
MK7 6AA
8. Selection process and date of interview
The interview panel will be chaired by Prof Hazel Johnson and will include Dr Linda Shaw
from the UK Co-operative College. Other members of the interview panel will be notified to
candidates nearer the time.
The selection process for this post will include an assessment of the applicant’s cover letter,
application form, one academic publication or conference paper, and one publication or piece
of writing designed to communicate to a non-academic audience, and an interview. Please
send your publications/writing with your completed application and cover letter.
We will let you know as soon as possible after the closing date whether you have been
shortlisted for interview. Further details on the selection process will also be sent to
shortlisted candidates. Interviews are expected to take place on Thursday 12 July 2012.
Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
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