What We Owe Each Other: Best Practices for Non-Exploitative Research

• In Event: Poster Session: Political Methodology

Abstract

Applied academic research is an inherently collaborative effort, even when working on a solo project. We rely on previous research to build our theories and expectations; we analyze data drawn from the lived experiences of other people who open their lives to us. Institutions provide administrative and financial support; our colleagues provide scholarly feedback. In practice, especially when working in low-infrastructure environments, we often depend on a team of people residing at the research site to ensure the logistics of a project run as smoothly as possible. At the same time, the benefits of our research typically accrue to a limited number of stakeholders. Our publications allow us to qualify for jobs, earn tenure, and develop our professional reputations. Our record also brings recognition to our institutional and departmental homes. All too often, the subjects of our research, which I’ll refer to as research participants, receive little or no benefit from their participation in a project, especially in the long-run. Stemming from discussions at a workshop held at the Peace Science Society Annual Meeting in November of 2019, I argue that we must consider the ethical implications of our work, in particular how our research can be exploitative and extractive by not appropriately compensating, financially and otherwise, those who contribute to the success of our research. I argue that academics, including myself, often underestimate the true cost of participation for research participants. A guiding question we should ask ourselves at each stage of the research process is “To whom do the benefits of my work accrue?” If our research participants are not centered by our answers to that question, then that is an indication that we need to reconsider our research process. In answering this question appropriately, we enable our relationships with research participants to be equitable, healthy, non-exploitative, and non-extractive. I argue that this obligation extends beyond those who collect data directly from research participants; even those working with off-the-shelf data have a normative obligation. Beyond this argument, I offer practical suggestions for best practices to ensure our research meets the highest ethical standards possible in this dimension.

Author

• Rachel Harmon, Emory University