Should we conduct correspondence study field experiments with political elites?

Correspondence study field experiments with political elites are a recent addition to legislative studies research, in which unsolicited emails are sent to elites to gauge their responsiveness. In this article, we discuss their ethical implications. We advance from the viewpoint that correspondence study field experiments involve trade-offs between costs and benefits that need to be carefully weighted. We elaborate this argument with two contributions in mind. First, we synthesize ethical considerations in published work to explore what the specific trade-offs are and how they can be mitigated by experimental design. We conclude that correspondence study field experiments with political elites are worth pursuing given their potential to further good governance. But they also involve distinct trade-offs that are particularly challenging. Second, we draw from our own considerations while designing a comparative correspondence study field experiment and stress challenges resulting from cross-national designs. In sum, we aim to facilitate further reasoned discussion on an important methodological issue.

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Network Effects in Field Experiments on Interactive Groups: Cases from Legislative Studies

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.2799074 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Sayali Phadke ◽

Bruce A. Desmarais

Keyword(s):

Network Effects ◽

Field Experiments ◽

Legislative Studies

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Epistemic and ethical considerations in the direct-to-consumer health and ancestry genetic testing process

McGill Journal of Medicine ◽

10.26443/mjm.v20i1.853 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Katherine Huerne

Keyword(s):

Genetic Testing ◽

Quantitative Methods ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Social Issues ◽

Clear Understanding ◽

Feminist Ethics ◽

Ethical Considerations ◽

Ethical Implications ◽

Direct To Consumer ◽

The Cost

Background: Direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC-GT) is a popular and fast-growing field within the healthcare industry. Consumers often pursue DTC-GT without a clear understanding of its epistemic and medical limitations. This report will present the current state of DTC-GT technology, and highlight the ethical, legal and social issues of DTC-GT. Methods: Quantitative methods such as systematic reviews were used to evaluate the field of DTC-GT. Experimental data was taken from randomized control trials and case studies of 23andMe. Qualitative methods such as newspaper articles and surveys were also used. Relevant policies and regulatory information were analyzed in the context of 23andMe. Broader ethical issues are analyzed from the social disability model and feminist ethics frameworks. Results: Several aspects of direct-to-consumer genetic testing are outlined: (i) regulatory and legal distinctions of DTC-GT that separate its use from conventional genetic testing, (ii) epistemic issues of the genetic testing process within the direct-to-consumer context, and (iii) ethical considerations of DTC-GT in regard to genetic health and genetic ancestry. Conclusion: This report does not take a position for or against the use of DTC-GT; rather, it highlights the key ethical issues often missed in the DTC-GT process. There is no perfect method for understanding genetic health and race. DTC-GT offer consumers the ease and power of taking genetic data ‘in their own hands’, at the cost of exacerbating geneticization and race essentialism. Until further work is done to address the epistemic, regulatory and legal issues, ethical implications of DTC-GT usage will continue to exist.

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Ethical Implications of Identity Politics for Good Governance in 21st Century Nigeria

Advances in Public Policy and Administration - Political Identity and Democratic Citizenship in Turbulent Times ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-3677-3.ch006 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 129-155

Author(s):

Essien D. Essien

Keyword(s):

Identity Politics ◽

Good Governance ◽

Political Identity ◽

Religious Diversity ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Ethical Implications ◽

Qualitative Descriptive ◽

Ethnic Solidarity ◽

Identity Thesis ◽

Acute Crisis

Contemporary empirical studies on identity question and political identity reveal that numerous political challenges revolve around the questions of identity. Identity thesis engenders a landscape of tremendous diversity and variation, which poses political problems when there is too much or too little of it. It manifests itself when there is a shift towards cultural diversity, largely due to upswing in migration and globalization. Given the multi-ethnic configuration of Nigeria characterized by heightened identity politics, a scenario of acute crisis of identity is inexorable. This study, therefore, examines why societies are today increasingly characterized by ethnic, racial, and religious diversity, which creates room for various forms of identity. Drawing upon extensive contemporary research and literature on diversity and identity politics, the study adopts qualitative descriptive methodology with content analysis curvature. Findings reveal that Nigerian political behavior, socio-economic relationship, and governance are driven by identity politics and ethnic solidarity.

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Payments for Participation of Children in Research

Ethics and Research with Children ◽

10.1093/med-psych/9780190647254.003.0014 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 244-263

Author(s):

Douglas S. Diekema

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Research Participation ◽

Ethical Considerations ◽

Parental Decision ◽

Research Participants ◽

Ethical Implications ◽

Parental Decision Making ◽

Participation In Research ◽

Research Studies ◽

Current Practices

Providing payment to those who participate is common practice for research studies involving both children and adults. While there may be good reasons for providing payment for research participation, there are also reasons to be concerned about the practice, especially when the subjects are children and the payment has the potential to distort parental decision-making by tempting parents to consider issues other than the welfare of their child. This chapter examines the ethical implications of providing payment to children and their parents for participation in research. After a brief survey of current practices regarding payments to research participants, the chapter will examine the distinct kinds of payments offered to research participants and their parents (Those intended to reimburse expenses and those intended to induce participation), evaluate the ethical considerations relevant to each kind of payment, and make some final recommendations concerning the provision of payments for research involving children.

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Native Advertising in Online News: Trade-Offs Among Clicks, Brand Recognition, and Website Trustworthiness

Journal of Marketing Research ◽

10.1177/0022243719879711 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 57 (1) ◽

pp. 20-34 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Anocha Aribarg ◽

Eric M. Schwartz

Keyword(s):

Field Experiments ◽

Online Advertising ◽

Online News ◽

Editorial Content ◽

Form And Function ◽

Brand Recognition ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Conflicting Objectives ◽

And Function ◽

Click Through Rate

Native advertising is a type of online advertising that matches the form and function of the platform on which it appears. In practice, the choice between display and in-feed native advertising presents brand advertisers and online news publishers with conflicting objectives. Advertisers face a trade-off between ad clicks and brand recognition, whereas publishers need to strike a balance between ad clicks and the platform’s trustworthiness. For policy makers, concerns that native advertising confuses customers prompted the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to issue guidelines for disclosing native ads. This research aims to understand how consumers respond to native ads versus display ads and to different styles of native ad disclosures, using randomized online and field experiments combining behavioral clickstream, eye movement, and survey response data. The results show that when the position of an ad on a news page is controlled for, a native ad generates a higher click-through rate because it better resembles the surrounding editorial content. However, a display ad leads to more visual attention, brand recognition, and trustworthiness for the website than a native ad.

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Legal and Ethical Implications of Website Accessibility

Business and Professional Communication Quarterly ◽

10.1177/2329490618802418 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 81 (4) ◽

pp. 399-420 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zsuzsanna Bacsa Palmer ◽

Ralph Henry Palmer

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Digital Communication ◽

The United States ◽

Professional Communication ◽

Ethical Considerations ◽

Legal Cases ◽

Detailed Review ◽

Ethical Implications ◽

Legal Context ◽

The Disabled

This article argues that business and professional communication practitioners, instructors, and students, besides becoming better informed about the legal context of website accessibility, should also become more aware of the ethical considerations of creating digital communication products that are inherently accessible for people with disabilities. Through a detailed review of the most important legal cases in the United States and discussion of ethical considerations concerning website accessibility for the disabled, we provide possible entrance points that will help instructors bring ethical considerations into the discussion of website accessibility. We urge instructors to regularly include disability in discussions of accessibility cases.

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Systems Approach to Evaluate Tarnished Plant Bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) Management Practices in Virginia and North Carolina Cotton

Journal of Economic Entomology ◽

10.1093/jee/toaa142 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 113 (5) ◽

pp. 2223-2234

Author(s):

Seth J Dorman ◽

Dominic D Reisig ◽

Sean Malone ◽

Sally V Taylor

Keyword(s):

North Carolina ◽

Management Practices ◽

Field Experiments ◽

Systems Approach ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Cultural Control ◽

Yield Potential ◽

Lygus Lineolaris ◽

Tarnished Plant Bug ◽

Trade Offs

Abstract Economically damaging infestations of Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), tarnished plant bug, were sporadic in Virginia and North Carolina cotton before 2010. Given the sudden rise of L. lineolaris as an economic pest in these states, regionally specific management practices (i.e., chemical and cultural control) are needed to help producers protect yield potential while minimizing input costs. Field experiments were conducted in Virginia and North Carolina in 2018 and 2019 to 1) determine the effects of various management practices on L. lineolaris density, plant injury (i.e., square retention, internal boll injury), and lint yield, 2) calculate the economic trade-offs between integrated pest management (IPM) systems approach and current management practices for L. lineolaris in these states, and 3) evaluate economic benefits associated with various sampling thresholds. Lygus lineolaris populations peaked mid-season (i.e., August) during cotton flowering in both states. Weekly scouting and applying foliar insecticides when the current University Extension recommended economic threshold was reached was the most critical management treatment in maximizing economic returns. Additional costs among various IPM practices did not translate into significant yield protection and economic gains. Moreover, there were additional economic benefits associated with protecting glabrous and longer maturing varieties in Virginia. Lygus lineolaris density varied significantly between states; therefore, management recommendations should be modified based on the growing region. Results from this study will be used to create an IPM strategy to help cotton producers effectively manage this insect pest in the Southeast.

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Equity in access to facial transplantation

Journal of Medical Ethics ◽

10.1136/medethics-2020-106129 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. medethics-2020-106129

Author(s):

Laura L Kimberly ◽

Elie P Ramly ◽

Allyson R Alfonso ◽

Gustave K Diep ◽

Zoe P Berman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Equity ◽

Clinical Experience ◽

Barriers To Care ◽

Ethical Considerations ◽

Ethical Implications ◽

Facial Transplantation ◽

Equity In Access ◽

Low Volume ◽

Fair Access

We examine ethical considerations in access to facial transplantation (FT), with implications for promoting health equity. As a form of vascularised composite allotransplantation, FT is still considered innovative with a relatively low volume of procedures performed to date by a small number of active FT programmes worldwide. However, as numbers continue to increase and institutions look to establish new FT programmes, we anticipate that attention will shift from feasibility towards ensuring the benefits of FT are equitably available to those in need. This manuscript assesses barriers to care and their ethical implications across a number of considerations, with the intent of mapping various factors relating to health equity and fair access to FT. Evidence is drawn from an evolving clinical experience as well as published scholarship addressing several dimensions of access to FT. We also explore novel concerns that have yet to be mentioned in the literature.

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Methods and ethical considerations of pitfall trapping for the western pygmy possum (Cercartetus concinnus Gould) (Marsupialia:Burramyidae), with observations on capture patterns and nest sites

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr06090 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 296 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Angela J. L. Pestell ◽

Sophie Petit

Keyword(s):

Capture Rate ◽

South Australia ◽

Trap Depth ◽

Pitfall Trap ◽

House Mice ◽

Pitfall Trapping ◽

Ethical Considerations ◽

Ethical Implications ◽

Nest Sites ◽

Autumn And Winter

In order to enhance future trapping of the western pygmy possum (Cercartetus concinnus) and minimise the capture of non-target species in the context of animal ethics, we examined the effectiveness of several pitfall-trap capture methods and described capture patterns at Innes National Park, South Australia. For 2606 trap-nights, 78 (2.99 per 100 trap-nights) captures were pygmy possums (70 individuals). They represented 69% of the 113 vertebrates captured, followed by house mice (Mus domesticus) (22%). Nocturnal captures of pygmy possums varied with season (5.21 per 100 trap-nights in spring and summer, and 1.02 in autumn and winter). Males were more commonly captured than females. Half of the pygmy possums used the artificial shelters provided in the traps. We alternated 39-cm-deep and 31-cm-deep pitfall traps along trap lines, with and without drift netting. Pitfall depth did not significantly affect the capture rate of pygmy possums, but house mice were captured significantly more often in deep pitfalls. Use of a drift net did not affect the capture of pygmy possums, but increased mouse captures. These results have significant ethical implications because the use of ‘shallow’ traps and the elimination of the drift net minimised the capture of non-target mice. We recommend reporting trapping details precisely, because a difference of only 8 cm in trap depth can have a significant impact on species selected for capture. Our study also showed that pygmy possums are able to use a range of structures for daily shelter and are not dependent on hollows.

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Nanomedicine: Techniques, Potentials, and Ethical Implications

Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology ◽

10.1155/jbb/2006/51516 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 2006 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Mette Ebbesen ◽

Thomas G. Jensen

Keyword(s):

Targeted Drug Delivery ◽

Self Assembly ◽

Embryonic Stem ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Ethical Considerations ◽

Human Capabilities ◽

Ethical Problems ◽

Ethical Implications ◽

Physical Chemical ◽

Cell Versus

Nanotechnology is concerned with materials and systems whose structures and components exhibit novel physical, chemical, and biological properties due to their nanoscale size. This paper focuses on what is known as nanomedicine, referring to the application of nanotechnology to medicine. We consider the use and potentials of emerging nanoscience techniques in medicine such as nanosurgery, tissue engineering, and targeted drug delivery, and we discuss the ethical questions that these techniques raise. The ethical considerations involved in nanomedicine are related to risk assessment in general, somatic-cell versus germline-cell therapy, the enhancement of human capabilities, research into human embryonic stem cells and the toxicity, uncontrolled function and self-assembly of nanoparticles. The ethical considerations associated with the application of nanotechnology to medicine have not been greatly discussed. This paper aims to balance clear ethical discussion and sound science and so provide nanotechnologists and biotechnologists with tools to assess ethical problems in nanomedicine.

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