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Citizen social science in practice: the case of the Empty Houses Project

Social Work

Citizen social science in practice: the case of the Empty Houses Project

A. Albert

This article investigates Citizen Social Science through the unique lens of the Empty Houses Project, revealing how citizen-collected data transcends mere analytical tools, embodying deeper epistemological and political implications. The research was conducted by Alexandra Albert from University College London.

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Playback language: English
Introduction
The field of citizen science has significantly expanded in the last five years, marked by increased professionalization, institutionalization (with the formation of national and international associations and a specialized journal), and policy recognition. Discussions around defining citizen science highlight its transdisciplinary nature and resistance to narrow definitions to accommodate heterogeneity within the field. This article focuses on Citizen Social Science (CSS), exploring its potential and challenges. CSS, drawing on participatory research methods, engages citizens in all aspects of social research, from conceptualization to dissemination. While not drastically different from citizen science in the natural sciences, CSS emphasizes its unique legacy and the dichotomy of being viewed as either a new or established concept. The article uses the Empty Houses Project as a case study to examine the practical application of CSS, its affordances and challenges, the blending of participatory methodologies within social sciences and citizen science, and the implementation of good standards in CSS. The Empty Houses Project comprised a pilot project, an awareness campaign, a data collection period, stakeholder walking interviews, and policy/practitioner interviews. The study emphasizes the epistemological implications of CSS, extending beyond simple data collection to encompass new forms of knowledge production.
Literature Review
The literature review examines how CSS is theorized, highlighting its development from citizen science and its connection to participatory methods in social sciences, particularly co-production and participatory action research (PAR). PAR, a research orientation rather than a specific method, questions power dynamics and challenges the researcher's expert status, promoting reflexivity in knowledge generation. CSS links to participatory and action research, as well as co-production, which emphasizes user knowledge and iterative engagement. The review considers Irwin's work on citizen science and environmental sustainability, associating it with science focused on citizen concerns and contextual knowledge outside formal institutions. This aligns with Bordieu's notion of public sociology and Burawoy's call for public sociology's engagement with multiple publics. The review also discusses how CSS, in contrast to the realist ideology separating facts and values, raises questions about knowledge production in the social sciences. Existing literature presents CSS as a method for crowdsourced data collection, particularly for analyzing large social media datasets, but also as a way to forge new relationships between the social science academy and society. It is presented as citizen volunteers gathering data in their daily lives. The need to consider the politics of method in the social sciences is also highlighted.
Methodology
The Empty Houses Project followed a three-stage process: (a) a pilot project (two weeks, five participants) to refine data collection instructions; (b) an awareness campaign using social media, emails, and flyers; (c) a three-month (later extended) data collection window using a WordPress blog and online form. Due to low response rates, the project incorporated two additional stages: (d) eight walking interviews with data submitters or housing activists to understand reporting barriers; and (e) nine interviews with housing practitioners and policy officials to explore data use and contextual issues. Walking interviews, a preferred method over static interviews, allowed participants more control over the research process, showcasing their local environments and prompting in-depth discussions about CSS. The walking interviews covered the process of reporting empty houses, potential ethical issues, and participants' understanding of CSS. Policy and practitioner interviews were conducted face-to-face or remotely, providing insights into wider issues and data use. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview transcripts, field notes, and observations. Data coding followed the stages recommended by Braun and Clarke (2006).
Key Findings
The Empty Houses Project identified opportunities and challenges in CSS. Opportunities included reflection and meaning-making, as participants re-engaged with their environment and reflected on the issue of empty houses. The project also provided opportunities to produce new data, supplementing existing datasets and offering a more nuanced understanding of the situation. Citizen-generated data was viewed as valuable in the context of constrained local authority resources. However, there was a mismatch between policymaker expectations and citizens' perceptions of their role in data generation. The project also revealed new responsibilities in knowledge creation, with some participants advocating for citizen involvement in data analysis, not just collection. Walking interviews highlighted that CSS prompts an 'opening up' of research and a sense of 'working it out together'. Challenges included data quality and robustness, as participants struggled with defining and reporting 'empty houses' due to varied interpretations of the task. This revealed the need for clear guidelines and potentially social science training for participants. The subjective nature of observations was highlighted, raising questions about verifying data quality. Meaningful participation was crucial; some participants felt a citizen's duty to participate, while others questioned the project's practical benefits and potential exploitation of unpaid labor. How the data would be used was a major concern for participants, affecting their motivation to participate. The potential for data misuse and the lack of transparency were also highlighted. Participants expressed diverse views on the meaningfulness of CSS participation, some seeing it as supplementing existing data, others viewing it as a form of unpaid labor, and still others acknowledging the potential of data to hold officials accountable.
Discussion
The Empty Houses Project demonstrates that CSS methods highlight the relationship between scholarly knowledge and endogenous social competence. The project reveals complex roles and distributed responsibilities in the research process. The study addresses the risk of exploitation by fully involving citizens in all aspects of the research process. The project challenges the top-down approach to data collection and generation, potentially providing more valid research questions. The findings reveal that while CSS offers the potential for greater citizen involvement and blurring of roles between researchers and researched, the practical realities are more complex, influenced by how the project is structured and the power dynamics involved. The study raises questions about the emancipatory potential of CSS, particularly in relation to citizen empowerment and the potential for the process to inadvertently reproduce inequalities.
Conclusion
The Empty Houses Project highlights the potential of CSS to enhance the social impact of citizen-generated data, but also reveals the complexities of using such data to address social problems. CSS provides opportunities for reflection on social life and challenges traditional top-down data collection approaches, potentially leading to a more bottom-up social science. While there's policy interest in using CSS data to inform policy decisions, questions remain about who benefits from this approach and its emancipatory potential. CSS adds to the repertoire of social science methods by generating reflections on the politics of knowledge production, prompting important questions about data, collection, analysis, and usage.
Limitations
The study's limitations include the relatively small sample size of the Empty Houses Project, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. The data collected involved human participants and cannot be publicly available due to privacy concerns. The focus on a single case study may not fully capture the diversity of CSS approaches and their outcomes.
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