Editorial: As well as the subject: Additional dimensions in development research ethics (original) (raw)

2013, Progress in Development Studies

The past decade has seen an increasing emphasis on ethical procedures for international development research, drawing heavily on medical models focused on the protection of subjects (for example, informants, vulnerable groups or those in confl ict/post-disaster situations; see American Anthropological Association [AAA], 2012; Economic and Social Research Council [ESRC], 2010). Despite this, other dimensions of research ethics seem to us to be relatively neglected, namely, obligations to society, funders and employers and peers (development practitioners, policymakers and researchers). These obligations include doing non-trivial, benefi cent and high-quality research. As Iphofen (2009: slide 1) argues, 'all research contains harm, since it is, to varying degrees, intrusive upon the lives of others. But that intrusion can and should be justifi ed in terms of the benefi ts accruing-to individuals, communities and/or societies'. Balancing