'Wicked' ethics: Compliance work and the practice of ethics in HIV research

Carol A. Heimer

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.10.030

'Wicked' ethics: Compliance work and the practice of ethics in HIV research

Carol A. Heimer^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Sociology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

39 Scopus citations

Abstract

Using ethnographic material collected between 2003 and 2007 in five HIV clinics in the US, South Africa, Uganda, and Thailand, this article examines "official ethics" and "ethics on the ground." It compares the ethical conundrums clinic staff and researchers confront in their daily work as HIV researchers with the dilemmas officially identified as ethical issues by bioethicists and people responsible for ethics reviews and compliance with ethics regulations. The tangled relation between ethical problems and solutions invites a comparison to Rittel and Webber's "wicked problems." Official ethics' attempts to produce universal solutions often make ethics problems even more wickedly intractable. Ethics on the ground is in part a reaction to this intractability.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	371-378
Number of pages	8
Journal	Social Science and Medicine
Volume	98
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.10.030
State	Published - Dec 2013

Keywords

Compliance
Ethics regulation
Globalization
HIV/AIDS
Medical research
South Africa
Thailand
Uganda

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Health(social science)
History and Philosophy of Science

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.10.030

Cite this

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title = "'Wicked' ethics: Compliance work and the practice of ethics in HIV research",

abstract = "Using ethnographic material collected between 2003 and 2007 in five HIV clinics in the US, South Africa, Uganda, and Thailand, this article examines {"}official ethics{"} and {"}ethics on the ground.{"} It compares the ethical conundrums clinic staff and researchers confront in their daily work as HIV researchers with the dilemmas officially identified as ethical issues by bioethicists and people responsible for ethics reviews and compliance with ethics regulations. The tangled relation between ethical problems and solutions invites a comparison to Rittel and Webber's {"}wicked problems.{"} Official ethics' attempts to produce universal solutions often make ethics problems even more wickedly intractable. Ethics on the ground is in part a reaction to this intractability.",

keywords = "Compliance, Ethics regulation, Globalization, HIV/AIDS, Medical research, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda",

author = "Heimer, {Carol A.}",

note = "Funding Information: The data used in this article were collected for “Clinic-Level Law: The {\textquoteleft}Legalization{\textquoteright} of Medicine in AIDS Treatment and Research,” a larger project generously supported by the American Bar Foundation and the National Science Foundation (Grant No. NSF SES – 0319560 ). I am deeply indebted to Jaimie Morse and Arthur Stinchcombe for careful readings and sage advice. I also thank the seminar audiences at New York University (Wagner Graduate School of Public Service) and the University of California at Berkeley (Sociology Department) and five anonymous reviewers for Social Science and Medicine for exceptionally helpful feedback.",

year = "2013",

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doi = "10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.10.030",

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AU - Heimer, Carol A.

N1 - Funding Information: The data used in this article were collected for “Clinic-Level Law: The ‘Legalization’ of Medicine in AIDS Treatment and Research,” a larger project generously supported by the American Bar Foundation and the National Science Foundation (Grant No. NSF SES – 0319560 ). I am deeply indebted to Jaimie Morse and Arthur Stinchcombe for careful readings and sage advice. I also thank the seminar audiences at New York University (Wagner Graduate School of Public Service) and the University of California at Berkeley (Sociology Department) and five anonymous reviewers for Social Science and Medicine for exceptionally helpful feedback.

PY - 2013/12

Y1 - 2013/12

N2 - Using ethnographic material collected between 2003 and 2007 in five HIV clinics in the US, South Africa, Uganda, and Thailand, this article examines "official ethics" and "ethics on the ground." It compares the ethical conundrums clinic staff and researchers confront in their daily work as HIV researchers with the dilemmas officially identified as ethical issues by bioethicists and people responsible for ethics reviews and compliance with ethics regulations. The tangled relation between ethical problems and solutions invites a comparison to Rittel and Webber's "wicked problems." Official ethics' attempts to produce universal solutions often make ethics problems even more wickedly intractable. Ethics on the ground is in part a reaction to this intractability.

AB - Using ethnographic material collected between 2003 and 2007 in five HIV clinics in the US, South Africa, Uganda, and Thailand, this article examines "official ethics" and "ethics on the ground." It compares the ethical conundrums clinic staff and researchers confront in their daily work as HIV researchers with the dilemmas officially identified as ethical issues by bioethicists and people responsible for ethics reviews and compliance with ethics regulations. The tangled relation between ethical problems and solutions invites a comparison to Rittel and Webber's "wicked problems." Official ethics' attempts to produce universal solutions often make ethics problems even more wickedly intractable. Ethics on the ground is in part a reaction to this intractability.

KW - Compliance

KW - Ethics regulation

KW - Globalization

KW - HIV/AIDS

KW - Medical research

KW - South Africa

KW - Thailand

KW - Uganda

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ER -

'Wicked' ethics: Compliance work and the practice of ethics in HIV research

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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