End purpose of research. International, cross-cultural and comparative research

End purpose of research

Many factors influence decisions about the topic, cases, context and time, one of the most important of which is the end purpose of research. For example, where an investigator is commissioned to evaluate the introduction of some aspect of crime prevention policy, or a particular initiative, the selection of topic, cases, context and time will typically be specified in advance by the sponsor. Rob White, in Chapter 22, explores in detail the process and opportunities that come with doing crimino- logical evaluation, and, importantly, he offers some reflection on the similarities and

differences between criminological research and evaluation research. Box 1. 1 details an example of an evaluation project that was designed by the police. This new approach to tackling domestic abuse by serial perpetrators had five key objectives, and the evaluation needed to be designed such that it could report on the outcomes with respect to these after one year and then again at the end of a two-year period. Even where there is a commitment to a broad academic aim of making some contri- bution to knowledge and to theory, it will be necessary to ground empirical inquiry in specific cases, contexts and time periods. The significance of decisions about such ‘grounding’ lies in the limits of generalizability. That is, all research takes place in par- ticular contexts, studying particular cases at specific times, and yet aims to make broad claims beyond the particularistic scope of inquiry. The extent to which it can do so depends on the representativeness and typicality of the contexts, cases and times which have been chosen. The project referred to in Box 1. 1 was confined to a northern police region. The evaluation was case (domestic abuse), context (the MATAC), area (northern area) and time specific (over two years). Though there are general principles that might be replicated in other areas and thus there may be some aspects of the approach that are generalizable, it is not possible to claim that the results can be generalized. The end

purpose of this research was for the local commissioners and project team.

International, cross-cultural and comparative research

Sometimes, the research is much broader in outlook, reach and scope. With the forces of globalization impacting more readily in late modern society on crime, vic- timization and criminal justice (see, for example, Loader and Sparks, 2007),

criminologists have become much more open to exploring doing criminological research in a comparative, cross-cultural and global context. That has required differ- ent approaches to doing criminological research, in order to address the many challenges that arise once the focus of the research becomes wider, broader and bigger. In some instances, you might be wondering what these problems are – much of the world is similar and offers similar approaches to the control and regulation of crime. Crime in one country is similar to that in another. And, yes, some are. But, as the International Crime Victims Survey (ICVS) identifies, there remains significant varia- tion within and between countries relating to crime, victimization and experiences of criminal justice (see van Dijk, 2015; van Kesteren et al., 2014). Indeed, language chal- lenges aside, criminal justice approaches differ significantly, as do definitional and conceptual understandings, not least with regards what we may see as simple terms such as crime and victims. Thus, alongside social, political and economic factors, glo- balization can and does impact considerably on how criminological research is carried out, with what tools and methodological approaches, and with what success. Matthew Hall, in Chapter 20, provides a good overview of the various approaches, challenges and opportunities of doing criminological research in a globalized, late modern world.