Ethics Committee as an Element of the Governance System in the Scientific and Technological Sphere: Problems and Perspectives

The article analyzes the experience of ethical committees in biomedicine from the standpoint of a legal approach. The Ethics Committee is interpreted as a fundamentally new institution in the system of scientific and technological governance, carrying out public examination of the biomedical research ethical acceptability and the corresponding social control. The author proposes some directions for improving the legal status of ethical (bioethical) committees in Russia, and also notes the need for special efforts by the state to form the proper institutional framework for their activities. Currently, biomedicine is a kind of a proving ground for testing the effectiveness of this new institution in the management system of modern science, performing the function of an intermediary between science, society and the state. An analysis of this experience allows us to conclude that it is advisable to extend it to other areas of scientific and technological activities, covered by the concept of NBIK-convergence.

Sustainability of State Budgetary Expenses: Tax Compliance of Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Groups—The Evidence from the Czech Republic

In the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, the long-term sustainability of state budgetary expenses is intimately connected to tax compliance. The new solidarity tax is one of the policies designed to help. In the Czech Republic, solidarity tax, introduced in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008–2009, is still levied. This paper studies the tax compliance of different income groups in the presence of solidarity tax. Most existing studies suggest declining tax compliance with income, though others found the opposite. This paper argues that the association of tax compliance with income is more complex. This paper assesses tax compliance as related to income in a continuous setting and by comparing income groups employing a large sample from the Czech Republic (N = 1811, 60.6% female, aged 18–82, M ± SD: 51.3 ± 17.2; 19.3% with higher education). Methodologically we rely on ANOVA analyses with post-hoc tests, correlations, and ordinal regressions. We find that the associations of income and tax compliance of linear, quadratic, shift position, and slope were not statistically significant if controlling for age, gender, and education. The ethical acceptability of cheating on tax is the lowest in the middle-income group, presenting 33% of the sample. The lowest and the highest income group show more ethical flexibility in claiming state benefits if not entitled. The paper presents interesting ideas for policymakers on the tax behavior of different income groups.

The essential role of DSMBs in ensuring the ethics of global vaccine trials to address COVID-19

COVID-19 vaccines are being developed and implemented with unprecedented speed. Accordingly, trials considered ethical at their inception may quickly become concerning. We provide recommendations for Data and Safety Monitoring Boards (DSMBs) on monitoring the ethical acceptability of COVID-19 vaccine trials, focusing on placebo-controlled trials in low- and middle-income countries.

Human–Animal Interactions in Zoos: What Can Compassionate Conservation, Conservation Welfare and Duty of Care Tell Us about the Ethics of Interacting, and Avoiding Unintended Consequences?

Human–animal interactions (HAIs) in zoos can be rewarding for both humans and animals, but can also be fraught with ethical and welfare perils. Contact with animals can be beneficial for all parties involved, and can indeed lead to pro-conservation and respect for nature behaviours being adopted by humans after so-called “profound experiences” of connecting or interacting with animals. Yet, human–animal interactions may also increase certain individuals’ desires for inappropriate wild-animal ‘pet’ ownership, and can convey a false sense of acceptability of exploiting animals for “cheap titillation”. Indeed, this has been reflected in a recent research review conducted on animal–visitor interactions in zoos from a number of different countries and global regions. These are unintended consequences that ”modern, ethical zoos” would try to minimise, or avoid completely where possible, though most zoos still offer close-contact experiences with their animals. Three ethical frameworks that may be beneficial for ethically run zoos to incorporate when considering human–animal interactions are: Compassionate Conservation, Conservation Welfare and Duty of Care. These three ethical frameworks are concerned with the welfare state and outcomes for individual animals, not just the population or species. Human–animal interactions in zoos may be acceptable in many circumstances and may be beneficial to both animal and human participants; however, they must be closely monitored through welfare tracking tools. The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) has published guidelines for human–animal interactions that are mandatory for member institutions to adhere to, although whether these guidelines are taken as mandatory or suggestions at individual institutions is unknown. Some suggestions for relevant extensions to the guidelines are suggested herein. Melding Duty of Care and the two Conservation ethical frameworks would be ideal for assessing the ethical acceptability of such interactions as they currently occur, and for considering how they should be modified to occur (or not) into the future in zoological settings.

SARS-CoV-2 challenge studies: ethics and risk minimisation

COVID-19 poses an exceptional threat to global public health and well-being. Recognition of the need to develop effective vaccines at unprecedented speed has led to calls to accelerate research pathways ethically, including by conducting challenge studies (also known as controlled human infection studies (CHIs)) with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus which causes COVID-19). Such research is controversial, with concerns being raised about the social, legal, ethical and clinical implications of infecting healthy volunteers with SARS-CoV-2 for research purposes. Systematic risk evaluations are critical to inform assessments of the ethics of any proposed SARS-CoV-2 CHIs. Such evaluations will necessarily take place within a rapidly changing and at times contested epidemiological landscape, in which differing criteria for the ethical acceptability of research risks have been proposed. This paper critically reviews two such criteria and evaluates whether the use of effective treatment should be a necessary condition for the ethical acceptability of SARS-CoV-2 CHIs, and whether the choice of study sites should be influenced by COVID-19 incidence levels. The paper concludes that ethical evaluations of proposed SARS-CoV-2 CHIs should be informed by rigorous, consultative and holistic approaches to systematic risk assessment.