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Off‐Shoring Clinical Research: Exploitation and the Reciprocity Constraint
Author(s) -
Mitra Agomoni Ganguli
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
developing world bioethics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.398
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 1471-8847
pISSN - 1471-8731
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-8847.2012.00332.x
Subject(s) - shoring , reciprocity (cultural anthropology) , context (archaeology) , offshoring , business ethics , developing country , constraint (computer aided design) , economics , business , political science , public relations , sociology , economic growth , outsourcing , marketing , social science , engineering , biology , mechanical engineering , paleontology , structural engineering
The last 20 years have seen a staggering growth in the practice of off‐shoring clinical research to low‐and middle‐income countries (LICs and MICs), a growth that has been matched by the neoliberal policies adopted by host countries towards attracting trials to their shores. A recurring concern in this context is the charge of exploitation, linked to various aspects of off‐shoring. In this paper, I examine Alan Wertheimer's approach and offer an alternative view of understanding exploitation in this context. I will suggest that the justification for the enterprise of research is largely dependent on its integration within a health system from which participants regularly benefit and I argue that an attention to a principle of reciprocity will enable us to better recognize and address exploitation in international research.