Is MR capable of changing the world for the better?

A special issue of the International Journal of Market Research of the British Market Research Society will focus on the contribution of market research to international development. We are interested in the role of market research in promoting gender equality, health, eradication of poverty, good governance and economic and human development. Is MR capable of changing the world for the better? Globally, development aid runs into several billions of USD per annum. The top 30 donor countries at present gives a total of over $200 billion. Further substantial amounts come from charitable foundations, UN agencies and other sources. Historically, there has been a resistance to the use of market research techniques predominantly developed in a commercial context. This is now changing as donors, governments, NGOs and philanthropic foundations see the value of market research and marketing techniques to create social change. Social marketing used by governments is one example of this. Market researchers have developed tools for consumer insight which can be used to engage beneficiaries, stakeholders and gatekeepers in development programmes; focus groups, workshops and “human centred design” are used to create interventions which meet the real needs of local people; consumer segmentation has played a crucial role in promoting changes in behaviour to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa; branding techniques have attracted young people and changed behaviours; and mass communications have helped shift attitudes towards governments and political engagement. New technologies such as mobile apps are revolutionising the way data can be collected in remote rural areas. We are inviting contributions from academics, market researchers and users of research that address research questions around the application of market research to international development. The Editors welcome both empirical and conceptual papers presenting new perspectives and approaches on tackling the global challenges of poverty, disease, weak government, people trafficking, gender inequality and lack of education. Equally we welcome reflections from those who have worked in international development for many years but are only now appreciating the positive impact of research inputs and insights. Thus historic accounts and analysis as well as up to the minute research are welcome. The Special Issue Editors are Graham Mytton (Audience Research Training and Consultancy), Prof. Agnes Nairn (University of Bristol) and Philly Desai (Turnstone Research). The Special Issue Editors are happy to address questions from authors about potential papers. Contributions in the form of a Viewpoint; more practically oriented or case study based Forum articles; and full academic papers are encouraged. For more details of IJMR content requirements and submission details please see https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/international-journal-of-mar- ket-research/journal203424#submission-guidelines This Special Edition is currently proposed for January 2021, and the deadline for submissions is 31st March, 2020. For more information contact gmytton@gn.apc.org