A Critical Discussion on the Relevance of Biosocial Science Research Ethics Codes and Principles for Social Science Researchers in Africa

Rakotsoane, Francis C. L.; Nicolaides, Angelo

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-15402-8_2

Cited by 3 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Rakotsoane and Nicolaides ( 2019 ), as well as Segalo and Molobela ( 2019 ), offer valid and passionate arguments why Africa (and by extension LICs) need to move away from westernized or EU/US-centric ethics values (research and publishing) and establish a local “Africanized” version of such value and ethics systems that better suits local and indigenous realities. Ironically, these authors seem to have missed, or misunderstood, that the most powerful and/or influential publishers, and by association, journals, are based on precisely the same westernized or EU/US-centric ethics values (as invoked by organizations like COPE and the ICMJE) that they wish to move away from.…”

Section: Do Common Publishing Guidelines Address Indigenous Rights An...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Handling Ethics Dumping and Neo-Colonial Research: From the Laboratory to the Academic Literature

Silva¹

2022

Bioethical Inquiry

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This paper explores that the topic of ethics dumping (ED), its causes and potential remedies. In ED, the weaknesses or gaps in ethics policies and systems of lower income countries are intentionally exploited for intellectual or financial gains through research and publishing by higher income countries with a more stringent or complex ethical infrastructure in which such research and publishing practices would not be permitted. Several examples are provided. Possible ED needs to be evaluated before research takes place, and detected prior to publication as an academic paper, because it might lead to a collaborative effort between a wealthier country with restrictive ethical policies and a less wealthy country with more permissive policies. Consequently, if that collaboration ultimately results in an academic paper, there are ethical ramifications of ED to scholarly communication. Institutional review board approval is central to avoid ED-based collaborations. Blind trust and goodwill alone cannot eliminate the exploitation of indigenous or “vulnerable” populations’ intellect and resources. Combining community-based participatory research using clear codes of research conduct and a simple but robust verification system in academic publishing may reduce the risks of ED-based research from being published.

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Section: Do Common Publishing Guidelines Address Indigenous Rights An...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Handling Ethics Dumping and Neo-Colonial Research: From the Laboratory to the Academic Literature

Silva¹

2022

Bioethical Inquiry

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“…The role of individuals in relation to their family can be considered quite different between and within countries. The interdependence of people on one another and the role of community is, in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, often more important than the primary value of individual autonomy [ 21 ]. The influence of social networks, including marital status, therefore plays an important role in women’s care seeking behaviour [ 10 , 22 ].…”

Section: Life-course Approach For Maternal Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding women’s decision-making process for birth location in Tanzania based on individual women’s reproductive pathways: a life-course perspective

Miltenburg

Pelt

Lindskog

et al. 2022

Global Health Action

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Background Determinants for women’s care seeking for birth in low-income setting are multifactorial and remain poorly understood. A life course approach can assist to structure the interplay of the different factors that lead to women seeking care or not. Objective In this study we aimed to explore individual women’s reproductive pathways, and increase understanding of how important life events including previous pregnancy and birth experiences can help us to understand individual choices made for care seeking during childbirth. Methods The study took place in Tanzania between 2015 and 2017. 14 women were followed throughout their pregnancy, birth and postpartum period through participant observation and in-depth interviews. In total 94 in-depth interviews were held (between 5–7 interviews per woman). Analysis occurred continuous throughout the data collection period resulting in detailed narratives of crucial events across women’s life course, with specific attention to their current pregnancy. Results Of the 14 women, seven had a facility birth, six a home birth and one woman gave birth at the home of a local birth attendant. Four different story plots were identified: expected home birth, expected facility birth, unexpected facility birth and unexpected home birth. Birth narratives of four women representative of the different story plots are presented. Narratives illustrate women’s individual reproductive pathways including the various factors influencing women’s expectations and justifications for their actions during their pregnancy and birth. Conclusion Women’s agency, including women’s perception of self, the self in relation to the social environment and reflection on risks associated with the range of options, influences the final decision made for birth. Women’s narratives suggest that quality of care can function as a primary pull factor for facility birth. As long as home birth is by some perceived to be a better alternative, achieving skilled care for all will be difficult to achieve.

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“…Community-orientated researchers around the world increasingly advocate for the revision of ethics boards' blanket applications of universal moral guidelines drawn up and used without consideration of context (see Callaway, 2011;Hoffman, 2016;Liebenberg et al, 2018;Nafukho, 2006;Onuoha, 2007;Rakotsoane & Nicolaides, 2019). A universalist application drawing on Kantian philosophy proposes that what is morally right should be impartial and determined by abstract, universal reason (Moore, 1999).…”

Section: The Dilemma Of Conducting Community-basedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The assumption from a universalist perspective is that morally correct behaviour can be replicated from context to context (Chilisa, 2012;Liebenberg et al, 2018): what is applicable in westernized Europe, for example, can be transferred as is to rural Africa. Past harmful research practices in bio-medical research rightfully informed the development of research ethics to protect human participants from exploitative practices (Rakotsoane & Nicolaides, 2019;Segalo & Molobela, 2019;Sichel, 1990). However, when adopting a universalist perspective, treating all research generically as having the same kinds of risks and benefits is problematic.…”

Section: The Dilemma Of Conducting Community-basedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The tension associated with applying ethical guidelines from a universalist perspective is particularly noticeable in the process of obtaining informed consent. Ethics boards that adopt a universalist perspective generally view participants as autonomous individuals who enter into a form of contractual agreement with researchers, and by extension the institution/ethics boards, when giving informed consent (Rakotsoane & Nicolaides, 2019;Singh & Wassenaar, 2016). The reasoning often used to support this approach is that involving participants who are informed about what would be expected of them and who agree to the risks and benefits associated with the proposed research should be sufficient to indemnify ethics boards, higher education institutions, and researchers (Chennells & Steenkamp, 2018;Sichel, 1990).…”

Section: The Dilemma Of Conducting Community-basedmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Situationally and Relationally Guided Ethical Conduct for Researchers: A Community-Based Research Project to Design and Develop an ICT Intervention

Roos

Segalo

Ntombela

2022

Age-Inclusive ICT Innovation for Service Delivery in South Africa

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Growing discomfort with uncritical applications of generic universal ethics to community-based research, prompted us to (1) problematize a decontextualized application of ethics; (2) apply two heuristic constructs—situatedness and relationality—to a community-based project; and (3) propose revised guidelines for researchers in this field. The we-DELIVER project illustrates our processes for obtaining data from older (60+) South Africans to inform the development of a technology-based ecosystem, Yabelana, which gives them access to service information. In three phases (planning, implementation, and dissemination), we present the situatedness of researchers (including student fieldworkers) and communities. Drawing on relationality, we first expanded older participants’ capacity to engage by offering choices and by involving student fieldworkers who shared the same background as the participants to facilitate the use of the technology; and, second, we facilitated optimal interactions by being clear about the nature of the data being collected and by applying social engagement strategies to relate and interact optimally. An optimal interpersonal context preceded technology introduction. The chapter concludes with a plea for reconsideration of current universalized and decontextualized ethical protocols that too often perpetuate situational and relational ignorance. We propose, instead, ethical guidelines for community-based research that engages relationally with participants and best suits their contexts.

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A Critical Discussion on the Relevance of Biosocial Science Research Ethics Codes and Principles for Social Science Researchers in Africa

Cited by 3 publications

References 23 publications

Handling Ethics Dumping and Neo-Colonial Research: From the Laboratory to the Academic Literature

Handling Ethics Dumping and Neo-Colonial Research: From the Laboratory to the Academic Literature

Understanding women’s decision-making process for birth location in Tanzania based on individual women’s reproductive pathways: a life-course perspective

Situationally and Relationally Guided Ethical Conduct for Researchers: A Community-Based Research Project to Design and Develop an ICT Intervention

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