When I say "costs" of field research, I'm not referring to hardships or sacrifices. I mean costs literally. I'm going to break down all the expenses from my last research trip to the countryside - to Suhbaatar aimag. Though there are some differences between this trip and others I've made, the same general patterns emerge. Hopefully some financial transparency can be of use to other field researchers, particularly those doing work in rural Mongolia.
It was an 18 day overland trip starting and ending at my apartment in Ulaanbaatar. While in Suhbaatar I worked in 4 different sums and the aimag center (twice). The graph (right) shows the relative costs. Total expenditures were 410,620 MNT (US$375). Details of each of the categories follow.
Transportation. 265,530 MNT ($224) went to transportation, 79% of this directly as benzin (gasoline, petrol). The remaining 21% was spent almost entirely on public transportation and 3 taxi rides in Ulaanbaatar. In total, I covered 1799km, 533km between sums, and 352km within sums. As with all my previous countryside fieldwork, transportation was by far the largest expense, due to the large distances involved, as well as the periodic increases in fuel costs. In July 2006, A-80 - the benzin that will run in a jar yus or Planeta 5 - was 830 MNT/L in the hangai sums of Bayanhongor. It recently hit 990 MNT/L in the aimag center of Suhbaataar, guaranteeing that it's higher in the sums. That's an increase of roughly 20% over the past 15 months. While in Suhbaatar I heard that herders in one bag were selling benzin for 1200 MNT/L. And this was before the latest national price hike. This is what happens when the nearest kolonka (filling station) is 35km away, at the sum center (photo left is of a kolonka in a Zavhan sum).
Participant Payments. 4 research participants, received 20,000 MNT each. Roughly in line with the stipend they would be paid for attending a seminar at the aimag center. Approved by IRBs in the US and Mongolia.
Food. Both for me and for others. Includes alcohol, but not household gifts (see below). "Business meal and entertainment expenses" in IRS-speak.
Colleague Gifts. Small gestures for the support and hospitality I receive. One item purchased in Berkeley, another purchased in Ulaanbaatar.
Household Gifts. In addition to participant payments, it's good form to bring a couple small gifts if spending the night(s). I usually opt for non-perishable foodstuffs like pickles, kompot, and Russian candies.
Miscellaneous. Mobile phone units (7500), replacement Mongolian-English dictionary for the one I lost in the field (5000), medicines (2750), replacement Nokia charger for the one I fried in the field (1500), Internet at the aimag (600).
Something that I haven't included above is the in-kind support that I recieved, and that's no small matter.
Although I try to travel by zamiin unaa (public transport) when available, I often travel by mashin belonging to the aimag health department or to the sum hospitals. Because my research is intended to help improve rural health services in the aimags where I work, the health departments and hospitals provide me a driver and mashin at no-cost. I just pay the benzin. In some cases I've gotten completely free rides because the mashin was already headed to my destination - the most recent case of this in Suhbaatar was 2 pregnant women being sent to the aimag to deliver. If I'm just being dropped off somewhere, I pay the benzin both ways.
In addition to this, I sleep free. In the aimag center in Suhbaatar I always stay at the health department. In the 4 sums, I stayed at the hospitals, 3 times in maternity waiting rooms and once in the traditional medicine office. In 3 of the 4 sums I also slept in the bag, always in the homes (gers) of bagiin emch.
Outside of the aimag center, I don't pay for food, since I'm always eating at the hospital or someone's home. Sometimes even at the aimag center I don't pay to eat, for the same reasons. And if that wasn't enough hospitality, vodka, beer, and wine all have a knack for suddenly appearing out of nowhere.
For all this, I owe a tremendous debt to my colleagues in the aimags where I work. I'm hoping to repay in actionable research results.
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