This completely revised version of the successful 1995 text covers a wide range of issues relating to research concepts and methods. It incorporates new lessons that have been learned regarding the merits and pitfalls of development work. Reflecting on how and why research in international development work has become a special case within the social sciences, this book provides innovative examples of participatory methods in action; methodological guidance on linking research purpose, questions and methods in qualitative and quantitative research; highlights new methods for development work and research such asthe Rights-based Approach, Appreciative Inquiry, the Social Capital Analysis Tool and Geomatics; emphasizes the gender perspective in development work; and discusses ethics, regulations and codes of conduct, as well as the question of encounters with `other` cultures. This text offers invaluable practical guidance and critical reflection on methods for development work and research in a non-orthodox spirit. This book can be read as an input into a discourse on adequate methods for addressing current development cooperation issues in field studies. It provides an introduction to a variety of methods and methodological considerations, which may help guide the development practitioner to match issues and approaches in development studies.