Inside a Multidisciplinary Grounded-Theory Project on Corruption in Ecuador: Navigating and Negotiating Challenges

Authors

• Maria-Jose Rivera, Department of Space and Population - University of Cuenca, Ecuador and Instituto de Investigaciones sobre el Lenguaje y la Cultura - INVELEC, CONICET-UNT, San Miguel de Tucumán, ArgentinaFollow
• Paúl Arias-Medina, Department of Space and Population - University of Cuenca, Ecuador and Behavioral Economics and Engineering, KU Leuven, BelgiumFollow
• Aracely Rojas-Lazo, Directorate of Educational Innovation - University of Cuenca, EcuadorFollow
• Dolores Sucozhañay-Calle, Department of Space and Population and Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences - University of Cuenca, EcuadorFollow

Abstract

Studying day-to-day corruption raises hurdles for qualitative teams that cut across methodological, emotional, and ethical domains. Rather than presenting substantive findings on corruption, this article reports a reflexive analysis of those hurdles as experienced by an eight-member, multidisciplinary research team conducting the qualitative grounded-theory phase of the CIRCLE project in Ecuador - a context where discussing corruption often triggers mistrust, discomfort, and political sensitivities. Drawing on 33 meeting minutes and eight researcher stance memos, we applied Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis to team-generated documents to examine how challenges unfolded and were negotiated. We identified three interconnected domains of difficulty. Methodological challenges included reconciling disciplinary epistemologies and balancing design flexibility with pre-specification; emotional challenges centered on self-awareness and vulnerability, rapport building and research fatigue; ethical challenges involved obtaining consent under a euphemistic study label and avoiding stereotype reinforcement. The analysis highlights how emotional currents permeated methodological and ethical decision-making and how reflexive tools, such as stance memos and scheduled debriefings, helped the team navigate these tensions. We conclude by outlining practical recommendations for multidisciplinary teams investigating a sensitive topic such as corruption and propose directions for future research on structured reflexive support and cross-cultural transferability of the challenges identified.

Keywords

corruption, Ecuador, multidisciplinary qualitative research, thematic analysis, methodological challenges, emotional challenges, research ethics

Author Bio(s)

Maria-Jose Rivera holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education Sciences with a major in Philosophy, Sociology, and Economics (Universidad de Cuenca, ECU), a Master’s degree in Globalization and Development Sciences (University of Antwerp, BEL), and a Specialization in Conflict Resolution and Social Mediation (UNINI, MEX). She is a PhD scholar at the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Please direct correspondence to [email protected]

Paúl Arias-Medina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (Universidad de Cuenca, ECU), a Master’s degree in Development Studies (University of Antwerp, BEL), and Specialization in Risk Management (Tec de Monterrey, MEX). He is currently a doctoral candidate at the Behavioral Economics and Engineering group (KU Leuven, BEL) and the director of the CIRCLE project.

Aracely Rojas-Lazo is a sociologist with a master's degree in sustainability and conservation planning. Her professional experience focuses on educational innovation projects, social and socio-environmental research, addressing issues of corruption, access to justice, gender, human mobility, sustainability, and strengthening associative entrepreneurship. Her expertise includes the use of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, as well as the development of participatory processes and socio-organizational strengthening.

Dolores Sucozhañay-Calle is a professor whose work bridges sociology, sustainability, and organizational studies. Her expertise lies in social sustainability, organizational behavior, social impact assessment, and circular economy transitions, with a particular focus on both rural and urban contexts. She combines academic research with applied projects, fostering innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and methodological development to advance more inclusive and sustainable practices.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the VLIR-TEAM CIRCLE project and the Vicerrectorado de Investigación de la Universidad de Cuenca (VIUC). We are grateful to Tania Chapa, Paulo Freire, Israel Idrovo, Andrea Salinas and Cristian Zhimnay for their fieldwork support. We also thank all interview participants for generously sharing their time and perspectives.

Publication Date

10-31-2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Rivera, M.-J., Arias-Medina, P., Rojas-Lazo, A., & Sucozhañay-Calle, D. (2026). Inside a multidisciplinary grounded-theory project on corruption in Ecuador: Navigating and negotiating challenges. The Qualitative Report, 31(10), 6859-6878.

ORCID ID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1491-1636, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3255-2614, https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7250-3539, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4930-2176