Co-producing Research: A Community Development Approach

This is the introductory chapter of the book Co-producing research: A community development approach. It introduces the co-editors and explains the genesis of the book, based on the learning from a complex community-university research project, Imagine – connecting communities through research. It outlines a community development approach to the co-production of research, described as: research undertaken collaboratively by several parties that values multiple perspectives and voices; contributes to creating and developing communities of place, interest and identity; builds collective capacity for action; and works towards social change. It offers an overview of the chapters in the book and argues for an interdisciplinary collaborative approach.