Dialogue of Knowledges as a Methodological Strategy for the Co-Production of Quantitative Evidence between Universities and Local Governments

Abstract

This article presents a methodological approach based on the dialogue of knowledge to examine a collaborative initiative between a university, social organizations, and a local government aimed at producing evidence to support public policy design. The adopted methodology—replicable in other contexts—contributes to strengthening local information systems. The study demonstrates that the principles of the dialogue of knowledge can effectively guide quantitative research, helping to address methodological gaps identified in the literature and to adapt survey designs to contexts characterized by profound inequality. Drawing on the First Survey of Urban Waste Pickers in San Martín (Buenos Aires, Argentina), which included 485 cases, the analysis focuses on the sociodemographic characteristics and working conditions of those who recover solid urban waste near the third-largest open-air landfill in Latin America. The findings show how the co-construction of the survey instrument, field access strategies, and the involvement of territorial actors helped overcome methodological constraints and enabled the production of statistical information on populations typically excluded from traditional records, such as urban waste pickers and internal migrants. The results reveal labor, social, and environmental dynamics affecting urban waste pickers—including the significant participation of internal migrants in this activity—and open new avenues for research on environmental migration, social networks, and youth in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area.