ABOUT
OUR MISSION
Conducting field research in low- and middle-income countries is marked by a range of ethical complexities. Research projects often operate on constrained budgets and timelines and may therefore have a limited capacity to adequately respond to these issues.
A broad body of literature addresses ethical challenges as they pertain to study participants. Existing ethical guidelines and institutional ethics boards therefore ascribe great importance to ensuring participants' safety and wellbeing.
While we strongly acknowledge the importance of considering the wellbeing of study populations, the key argument put forth in this research project is that ethical issues may also affect the involved research staff, which includes local and international staff on all hierarchical levels. Beyond some degree of anecdotal evidence, these experiences have to date not been collated in a systematic way.
We aim to address this gap in international development research by conducting a systematic literature review, qualitative interviews, a quantitative survey, as well as a comprehensive review of existing ethical guidelines for field research in the Global South. This collaborative project runs from 2019 to 2025 and has received financial support by the Joachim Herz Stiftung.
"DOING NO HARM"
We argue that the key principle of “doing no harm” should equally apply to research staff.
Here, several ethical challenges must be considered:
Potential racial and cultural frictions within multinational research teams that are primarily managed by principal investigators from the Global North. This may be exacerbated by a host country’s history of colonial oppression and institutionalised racism.
Threats to the safety and physical integrity of local and international research staff associated with research projects carried out in potentially conflict-ridden, unstable or deprived settings.
Unstable working conditions for local research staff linked to socioeconomic inequality within international research teams, including lack of appropriate health insurance, unemployment benefits, and other social benefits.
Exposure to participants’ experience of trauma as well as a lack of institutionalised support structures in countries of the Global South can increase the risk of researchers experiencing forms of secondary or vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and job burnout.
Inadequate acknowledgement of local research contributors, also known as “parachute research”.
CONTRIBUTION OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT
Ultimately, insights from all work packages (more information here) will serve as guidance in the develpment of normative ethical principles and standardised research guidelines that take into account:
the specific complexities linked to research in low- and middle-income country contexts and
the protection of local and international research staff on all hierarchical levels.
These guidelines could then be endorsed by ethical review boards and funding bodies to ensure that no harm is inflicted – neither on research participants nor on the research staff themselves.