Week 4

Hector Ekholm
S4651308

Words: 481
a) Starting from Karim’s field experiment on policing that we discussed in lecture
4.2, what is the most important question that you should ask your boss about the
field experiment? What would constitute a ‘satisfactory’ answer to this question?

The question that should be asked would be “Will this study harm the community and is there a
better way of conducting this study?” A good researcher would also pose follow-up questions
about is the study approved by a board of ethics. The boss should be able to give me as a
researcher the approval of a qualified ethics board. They should be able to provide me with a
critical analysis of the study, some points of reflective criticism of the possible flaws of the study,
a risk analysis of what can go wrong in the study and some precautions for the safety of the
research team and the indigenous community. Furthermore, my boss has to convince me the team
has the necessary skill set and experience to conduct the study.

b) Beyond this ‘key’ question, and drawing on the readings for lecture 4.2, come
up with 2 -3 other questions about ethics in field experiments related to the design of
this experiment and/or your role as team leader that you would ask your boss before
agreeing to take the role. To fulfill the criteria for this exam, for each of these 2-3
questions, you need to state the question you want to ask, and explain why you
think it is important (using supporting evidence from the readings or lecture).

1. Treatment group money to parents: is there a possibility that not all parents will use the
money for the uniform, will some girls be discriminated against if they don’t get a
uniform? As a researcher, giving money away to the community might negatively affect
the local community. What is the point of having the last group?
2. What is the team's awareness of the current state of school uniforms in Liberia? This
question has to be asked to reassure that school uniforms are an inherent part of the
Liberian school community and not something the research team wants to import without
the will of the community. For example, some Liberia communities might hold their local
way of dressing in high regard and this study could harm the community. As discussed in
the lecture, the assumption we as researchers make and the knowledge we possess
between conducting research, might well mean the difference between good research
and harming the community which we want to study.
3. Will the disparity between the treatment groups and control groups affect the local
communities? Is it possible that testing school uniforms at the same time as having
non-school uniform schools could affect the community? Maybe the existence of school
uniforms might create regional segregation and result in the identification of schools. It is
possible that the testing of school uniforms might result in parents wanting their children
to be in uniform schools or vice versa. Thus the research would negatively affect the
local community by producing regional disparities. The principle of no harm is more
important than the convenience of an easy-to-make study.
 Finally, is there a particular reply from your boss to one or more of your questions
that would make you decline the request to lead the team?

If the boss of my project would say that the study has not been approved by the ethics
committee, I would decline the study. If the boss would admit that the research team does not
have the experience required to work with the study I would decline. Furthermore, if the
questions that I have are answered inconsistently or if my boss would shrug them off by saying
that they will see while they are at the research site. I would not lead the team.