Ethics in social science research: Getting the questions right even if there are no easy answers

What does it mean to conduct international social science research in an ethical manner? Over the course of one project, a research team studying the effects of a public policy or intervention wrestles with a constant stream of questions: Is the intervention or policy ethical? Is it ethical to withhold the intervention or policy from a control group? Can the intervention have adverse spillover effects in the control group or bystanders? Have we adequately considered the welfare, health, and safety of the field team? Of research participants? How will we protect research participant confidentiality? How can we better engage with research participants and balance power? The list is endless. For some questions, there may be no “right” answer, or the “right” answer may depend entirely on context. Read more here