Global health research in an unequal world: ethics case studies from Africa

This book is a collection of fictionalised case studies of everyday ethical dilemmas and challenges, encountered in the process of conducting global health research in places where the effects of global, political and economic inequality are particularly evident. It is a training tool to fill the gap between research ethics guidelines and their implementation on the ground. The case studies focus on ‘relational’ ethics: ethical actions and ideas that emerge through relations with others, rather than in regulations. The book is a flexible resource for training across a variety of contexts, such as medical research organizations, universities, collaborative sites, and NGOs, and for everyone interested in the realities of global health research today. The book is divided into two main parts: training case studies for global health researchers, and academic background. The 42 total training case studies presented in part I are further divided into four sections focusing on the different types of relationships that characterize the practice of global health research: researcher-participant relationships (15 chapters), community and family relationships (12 chapters), institutional relationships (10 chapters), and staff relationships (5 chapters). Each chapter in this first part of the book is composed of an introduction and guidelines page for training facilitators, and a handout for individual or group use (which includes the case study, questions to prompt discussion, and selected further readings). The collection of case studies is followed by guidance on how to use the training case studies. Part II of the book provides a more in-depth discussion of the key perspectives informing the research approach, an analysis of the context of transnational medical research in Africa, and an outline of what anthropology and the social sciences can offer.

Aellah G., Chantler T. and Geissler P. W. (2016) Global health research in an unequal world: ethics case studies from Africa, C.A.B. International