Kalocsanyiova, Erika ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3535-1084, Vacchelli, Elena, Essex, Ryan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3497-3137, Lewis, Olayinka and Lakika, Dostin (2026) Compensating research participation fairly: developing a framework for migration research. In: 23rd IMISCOE Annual Conference: "Strengthening Migration Studies through Community Engagement", 29th June - 2nd July, 2026, Barri Vell Campus, Girona, Spain.

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Abstract

In recent years, migration researchers have become increasingly reflective about how knowledge is produced in our field. This has involved resisting neoliberal and Eurocentric approaches and moving away from hierarchical research structures toward community engagement and partnerships for knowledge production. Central to this shift have been issues of (in)equality and inclusivity, which form the starting point for our examination of a key ethical and methodological question: how can financial barriers to research participation be reduced, and how can participants’ time, contributions, and expertise be justly compensated in migration and integration studies?
Compensation for research participation has been most extensively debated in bioethics, with the literature revealing a fundamental tension: compensation, particularly monetary payment or offer of services for research participation, may risk undue influence, while its absence or inadequacy risks exploitation. Drawing on a scoping review of global literature, we have developed a framework that categorises key types of compensation, their rationales, and their recipients. This framework was refined through consultations with experienced migration researchers and experts by experience.
In our presentation, we will provide an overview of the framework, which includes explicit financial, non-monetary, skill-based, access-based, and social or symbolic forms of compensation. Recipients are considered at individual, network, and community levels. We will also discuss the framework’s development and its potential applications in migration research, including as a foundation for a project aimed at advancing just compensation practices in research with migrants in vulnerable situations.

Item Type:	Conference or Conference Paper (Speech)
Additional Information:	Acknowledgements: We thank our fantastic research assistants, R.H., K.S., and B.C. for their contributions to title and abstract screening, full-text assessment, and data extraction, and L.C. for support with initial literature review. We are also grateful to the Institute for Lifecourse Development (University of Greenwich) for funding our participation in this conference.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	compensation, migrants, framework, research ethics
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) L Education > L Education (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Mental Health Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Human Sciences (HUM)
Last Modified:	06 Jul 2026 07:54
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/53914

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