Ethics Audits in Cross-National Research: Experiences from Correspondence Study Field Experiments with National Politicians in Four European Democracies
| Author | Thomas Zittel,Tom Louwerse,Helene Helboe Pedersen |
| Published date | 01 May 2022 |
| Date | 01 May 2022 |
| DOI | 10.1177/14789299211033449 |
| Subject Matter | Experiments with Politicians: Ethics, Power, and the Boundaries of Political Science |
https://doi.org/10.1177/14789299211033449
Political Studies Review
2022, Vol. 20(2) 184 –191
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/14789299211033449
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Ethics Audits in Cross-National
Research: Experiences from
Correspondence Study Field
Experiments with National
Politicians in Four European
Democracies
Helene Helboe Pedersen1,
Tom Louwerse2 and Thomas Zittel3
Abstract
This essay contemplates experiences from four national ethics audits designed to facilitate
correspondence study field experiments with national politicians in Germany, the Netherlands,
Denmark and the United Kingdom. The experimental study aims to reveal possible biases in
legislators’ responsiveness to distinct types of constituents such as non-partisans, lower-class
constituents, ethnic minorities, and women, and to unveil possible unsubstantiated fears or
misperceptions in this regard. The national research teams proposed the same experimental
design but received three different ethical evaluations. Specifically, the relevant Institutional
Review Boards (IRBs) in the UK and Denmark asked for two different de-briefing procedures.
In the Danish case, this led to withdrawal of the experiment due to severe costs with regard to
research quality. In the UK case, it led to increased risk of backlash. Our experiences imply a need
for more consistent ethics regimes in the European research community designed to facilitate
comparative social science research.
Keywords
correspondence study field experiments, comparative research, experiments with elites, ethics
audit
Accepted: 30 June 2021
1Department of Political Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
2Department of Political Science, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
3Department of Social Sciences, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Corresponding author:
Helene Helboe Pedersen, Department of Political Science, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 7, 8000 Aarhus
C, Denmark.
Email: helene@ps.au.dk
1033449PSW0010.1177/14789299211033449Political Studies ReviewHelboe Pedersen et al.
research-article2021
Symposia and New Ideas
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