McCormick+Schmitz Handbook for value chain research on - PACA

Nevertheless, the sensitivity of homeworker <strong>research</strong> makes it especially important to be
aware that, like many professionals, <strong>research</strong>ers are bound by a code of ethics.
13.4 Ethical questions in <strong>research</strong>ing home-based work
The cardinal ethical precept in any type of <strong>research</strong> is “Do no harm.” Research should
never cause injury - physical, psychological, economic, or any other - to the people being
studied. Two further principles flow from this. One is that participation in a <strong>research</strong>
study should be voluntary and based on in<strong>for</strong>med consent. The other is that participants’
privacy must be safeguarded. Simple and straight<strong>for</strong>ward as these seem, they can be
difficult to put into practice. In this section, we discuss some of the ethical issues that can
arise in carrying out <strong>research</strong> on home-based work.
If you reread the account of the <strong>research</strong> visit to Maria’s home, you can see some of the
ethical issues it raises (see Box 13.1). First, the <strong>research</strong>er arrived at Maria’s home with
the intermediary. This could be confusing to Maria. In her culture, one always welcomes a
visitor warmly. To refuse to do so would be extremely rude. Yet in this situation, to
welcome the visitor is to allow herself to be observed as part of a <strong>research</strong> process. The
<strong>research</strong>er in this case must take time to explain the nature of the <strong>research</strong> to Maria in
clear and simple language and to find out whether she is willing to participate. This may
be difficult because both Maria and the intermediary are accustomed to getting right down
to the business of checking and counting finished garments. Ideally the process of
explaining the <strong>research</strong> and obtaining consent should be completed be<strong>for</strong>e the visit, but
that may not be feasible. Maria may not have a telephone, and she may not read well
enough to understand a written explanation. Nevertheless, it is up to the <strong>research</strong>er to
develop procedures that ensure that Maria’s participation in the study is voluntary.
Researchers - or more often, their <strong>research</strong> assistants - are frequently tempted to
‘encourage’ participation in studies by using subtle <strong>for</strong>ms of coercion. Sometimes it is a
promise of some direct gain: ‘co-operative’ homeworkers will be given more business or
higher rates. Sometimes it is a veiled threat of being dropped from the list <strong>for</strong> failing to
participate. Not only are such tactics against the principle of free participation, but they
also frequently cause problems <strong>for</strong> <strong>research</strong>ers working in the same area at a later time.
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