The third-party watchdog in the research commission faced with the political challenges of participation

Participatory research, like any scientific practice, is linked to the subjects it addresses, the interactions and postures between researchers and stakeholders, and the social and scientific objectives it pursues. While the role of the third-party monitor depends on the specific needs of each project, but also on the previous know-how of the people involved in this function, it is also largely dependent on the institutional and organizational framework that promotes and regulates this activity. In the context of commissioned research, three categories of actors are generally involved in third-party monitoring activities: the donor, researchers and civil society actors. Around this triptych, we have identified three high-stakes situations that influence the stakeholder's posture. The first has to do with the temporality of projects and the ways in which the "professional" is introduced,...