Ethics, Epistemology, and Openness in Research with Human Participants

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Diana Kapiszewski ◽  
Elisabeth Jean Wood
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Ways Of Knowing ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Ethical Principles ◽  
The Political ◽  
Multiple Features ◽  
Human Participant ◽  
Research Transparency ◽  
Human Participants

The political science discipline has recently engaged in contentious debate about the value of “research transparency,” particularly for research with human participants. The discipline is also holding vital conversations about research ethics and is rekindling dialogue about different ways of knowing. We offer an integrated account of how the actions that scholars who conduct human participant research take to respect ethical principles (which vary by research substance and settings), and their epistemological commitments (which vary across researchers), influence openness, a broader concept than “transparency.” These principles and commitments shape scholars’ openness practices simultaneously—both independently and in concert—serving as a prism through which multiple features of a research project are refracted, and resulting in a scholar’s inclination and ability to pursue openness in different ways and to different degrees with the audiences of her work. We also show how ethical principles and epistemological commitments can not only constrain and prevent openness, but also animate and require it. We suggest that scholars pursuing openness ethically, and in ways that honor their epistemological commitments, represents good social science, and we offer strategies for doing so. To develop our argument, we focus primarily on two research methods, ethnography and interviews, and on openness toward two audiences, human participants and research communities. Our account illuminates how the heterogeneity of human participant research makes it inappropriate, indeed impossible, to develop blanket rules for pursuing openness. Throughout, we highlight the importance of reflexivity for the ethical conduct of, and for being ethically open about, political science research.

scholarly journals The 2011 National Science Foundation Political Science Awards

2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (01) ◽  
pp. 124-126
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
National Science Foundation ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
The Political ◽  
Science Program ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
National Science

The Political Science Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF) announces it awards for basic research support and dissertation improvement grants for fiscal year 2011. The Program funded 25 new projects and 44 doctoral dissertation improvement proposals. The Political Science Program spent $5,234,470 on these research, training and workshop projects and $483,822 on dissertation training grants for political science students. The program holds two grant competitions annually —Regular Research, August and January 15; Dissertation Improvement, September 16 and January 15— and constitutes a major source of political science research funding as part of fulfilling NSF's mission to encourage theoretically focused empirical investigations aimed at improving the explanation of fundamental social and political processes and structures.

scholarly journals Premises for the Politological Exploration of Sociobiology

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 23-35
Author(s):  
Jarosław Nocoń
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Science Research ◽  
The Political ◽  
Biological Factors ◽  
Political Sphere ◽  
Theoretical Assumptions ◽  
Mutual Relations ◽  
Effective Use

The article discusses the factors that encourage the use of the achievements of the broadly understood current of sociobiology in political science research. The guiding thesis here is the assumption that the effective use of the achievements of sociobiology for political science research may be an important factor inspiring new interpretations, explanations and forms of viewing the political sphere of social life. At the same time, it stimulates a broad view of the complexity of mutual relations between the sphere of culture and politics and biological factors. The condition for such a perspective is a departure from the reduced, genetically determinist perception of sociobiology and the understanding of culture and politics both in terms of products and determinants of the natural environment. The structure of the argument is subordinated to attempts to answer the following questions: Why is it worth being interested in using neo-evolutionist concepts to explain and describe the political sphere of social life? What is sociobiology and what theoretical assumptions can be a useful instrument of explanation in political science research?

scholarly journals Sociological institutionalism as a direction of the new institutionalism of political science: methodology and its implementation in Ukrainian political science research

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 5-14
Author(s):  
Oksana Bashtannyk
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
New Institutionalism ◽  
Institutional Analysis ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
The Political ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Sociological Institutionalism ◽  
Political Processes

The relevance of this study is explained by the need to find out the heuristic parameters of one of the segments of the institutional analysis of Ukrainian political science - sociological institutionalism. At the present stage of world development of institutional research in politics, it is no longer enough to turn to the formalized aspects of the essence of political institutions, which is still a fairly common approach - in contrast to the general theory of the new institutionalism. Also, there is a widespread view that the latest models of research strategies can be offered only by foreign political science and it is among its developments that the necessary analytical tools should be sought. Due to certain historical aspects of the political development of our country, political science research has not been able to develop synchronously with global trends for a long time, but it is possible to assume that today this situation is gradually changing. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to concretize in domestic political science the analytical field of such research areas of the new institutionalism as sociological institutionalism and systematize the main parameters of its research strategy. As a result of the study, it was found that the provisions of sociological institutionalism of political science are based on more normative-formalized approaches compared to other types of institutionalism because its formation was significantly influenced by the theory of organizations. Most Ukrainian scholars use the methodological tools of this area of institutionalism for a comprehensive analysis of the nature of the political institution as a research unit, which is close in its characteristics to the latest world examples and requires an appropriate research methodology. The group of specific issues considered by domestic scholars on the basis of the provisions of sociological institutionalism is opened by the normative aspects of the functioning of international politics (for example, humanization), which in this dimension is in the center of attention of foreign scholars as well. A more interesting area of research is the peculiarities of the process of European integration, the analysis of which also begins in the works of foreign scholars, but we are interested in this question given Ukraine's European ambitions - whether its regulatory Europeanization will have appropriate prospects. Another important aspect of research using the methodology of this area of institutional analysis, and again - important for our country, are the socio-political processes in transition societies, where democratization has begun, but the achievements in this way are difficult to call sustainable.

Morality Politics

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alesha Doan
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Science Research ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Landscape ◽  
Electoral Outcomes ◽  
Morality Politics ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Initial Research

The impact of morality conflicts on the political landscape is widespread. These debates have involved political institutions at every level of government, impacted electoral outcomes, shaped agendas, and occupied significant space in citizen discourses. However, despite the historical and modern regularity of these debates, scholars have been slow to consider belief-laden conflicts within the purview of political science research. This chapter explores the development of the morality politics literature. Attention is given to the initial research in this field, as well as the studies that refined and challenged several of the early assumptions underpinning morality politics scholarship.

Reducing Political Bias in Political Science Estimates

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (01) ◽  
pp. 179-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Zigerell
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Sex Discrimination ◽  
Science Research ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Bias ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Analyze Data

ABSTRACTPolitical science researchers have flexibility in how to analyze data, how to report data, and whether to report on data. A review of examples of reporting flexibility from the race and sex discrimination literature illustrates how research design choices can influence estimates and inferences. This reporting flexibility—coupled with the political imbalance among political scientists—creates the potential for political bias in reported political science estimates. These biases can be reduced or eliminated through preregistration and preacceptance, with researchers committing to a research design before completing data collection. Removing the potential for reporting flexibility can raise the credibility of political science research.

Reviews: The Study of Government: Political Science and Public Administration, The Psychology of Politics, The Politics of Communication: A Study in the Political Sociology of Language, Socialization and Legitimation, The Structure of Social Science: A Philosophical Introduction, Political Learning, Political Choice and Democratic Citizenship, The Political Character of Adolescence: The Influence of Families and Schools, Mathematical Approaches to Politics, Funktionsanalyse Und Politische Theorie, The Collected Works of Walter Bagehot. Vols. V–VIII the Political Essays, The Conservative Nation, The House of Commons: Services and Facilities, Marketing Boards and Ministers: A Study of Agricultural Marketing Boards as Political and Administrative Instruments, Studies in Social Science and Planning, Politics by Pressure, The Problem of Party Government, Modern Social Politics in Britain and Sweden: From Relief to Income Maintenance, Comparative Revolutionary Movements, Mass Political Violence: A Cross-National Causal Analysis, The Communists in Spain, Amicable Agreement versus Majority Rule, Uncertain Passage—China's Transition to the Post-Mao Era, Soviet Politics and Political Science, Malaysia—New States in a New Nation, General Elections in South Africa 1943–1970, Fascism in Italy: Society and Culture 1922–1945, The History of the Nazi Party: Volume II, 1933–1945, The Aryan Myth: A History of Racist and Nationalist Ideas in Europe, Europe in Question, The Defence of Western Europe, Bureaucratic Politics and Foreign Policy, The Foreign Policies of the Powers, Survey of Commonwealth Affairs. Problems of Expansion and Attrition 1953–1969, Testing Theories of Economic Imperialism, Daughter of a Revolutionary: Natalie Herzen and the Bakunin-Nechayev Circle, Bukharin and the Bolshevik Revolution. A Political Biography, 1888–1938, The Liberal Theory of Justice: A Critical Examination of the Principal Doctrines in A Theory of Justice, Contemporary Thought and Politics, The Essex Reference Index: British Journals on Politics and Sociology. 1950–1973

1975 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 514-571
Author(s):  
R. G. S. Brown ◽  
H. J. Eysenck ◽  
B. G. Stacey ◽  
Alan Ryan ◽  
Shawn W. Rosenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Democratic Citizenship ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
The Political ◽  
Nazi Party ◽  
Theory Of Justice ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Nation

scholarly journals Social Science Research in Southeast Asia: the Challenges of Studying Parliamentary Institutions

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 147
Author(s):  
Ratih Adiputri
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Political Culture ◽  
Plenary Session ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Political Institution ◽  
The Political ◽  
National Parliaments ◽  
Parliamentary Procedure

This paper introduces the challenges of studying parliamentary institutions in Southeast Asia. My focus of research is in three countries’ institutions: national parliaments of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. While in Southeast Asia, it is widely known that studying issues of politics and institutions face challenges – compared to studying culture, for example, this view is arguably no longer valid, however with certainqualification.The comparison of parliamentary tradition between three countries – based on observation of the plenary session - reveals that the effectiveness of parliamentary works is related to parliamentary procedure, and even to the culture of work in the countries. Parliamentary structure, procedure and their political culture matters. Therefore, acknowledging these factors will give rise to more research opportunities, if a researcher plans to study the political institution in other countries in Southeast Asia.

scholarly journals Recent Economic Perspectives on Political Economy, Part II

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 543-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
TORUN DEWAN ◽  
KENNETH A SHEPSLE
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Information Aggregation ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
The Political ◽  
Arbitrage Opportunities ◽  
Economics Journals ◽  
Economic Perspectives

In recent years some of the best theoretical work on the political economy of political institutions and processes has begun surfacing outside the political science mainstream in high quality economics journals. This two-part article surveys these contributions from a recent five-year period. In Part I, the focus was on elections, voting and information aggregation, followed by treatments of parties, candidates and coalitions. In Part II, papers on economic performance and redistribution, constitutional design, and incentives, institutions and the quality of political elites are discussed. Part II concludes with a discussion of the methodological bases common to economics and political science, the way economists have used political science research, and some new themes and arbitrage opportunities.

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