Andrea Armstrong

Everyday ethics in community-based participatory research

This article explores a range of ethical issues that arise in community-based participatory research (CBPR), drawing on literature and examples from practice. The experience of CBPR practitioners adds further weight to the growing critique by many other social researchers of regulatory approaches to research ethics (which focus on rule following in accordance with research governance frameworks, codes of conduct and ethics review procedures). Yet, whilst many of the ethical challenges in CBPR are common to social research generally (informed consent, anonymity, issues of ownership of data and findings), the dynamic, complex and value-based nature of CBPR gives them particular prominence. There are also specific issues relating to the ethics of partnership working, collaboration, blurring of boundaries between researchers and researched, community rights, community conflict and democratic participation that are more frequently encountered in CBPR. Four practice examples are used to demonstrate this argument. These are taken from a young womens community allotment, a community organisation researching poverty, a youth peer research project and a museum-based digital storytelling project. The article concludes that current institutional ethical codes, guidelines and ethical review procedures are not particularly well-suited to CBPR, in that they adopt principle-based and regulatory approaches to ethics; whereas character- and relationship-based approaches to ethics are also very important in CBPR, which is adopted by many researchers with a strong value commitment to social justice.

Housing and Inequality

is in decline’. As some ‘political economy’ advocates would argue, this rests on a contention that growing competition between cities stifles urban political debate because of the unchallengeable status of any policy measure affording competitive advantage. Political convergence has also narrowed the scope for debate. While the above perspectives are recognised as valid, Pierre questions whether urban politics has been subject more to change than to decline. Noting that political parties may be more ‘dynamic and adaptable’ entities than is usually recognised, he makes the familiar point that single issue pressure groups have become more numerous and well-supported in many countries in recent years. The urban political agenda is subject to change, with a transnational trend towards greater concerns around key issues such as environmental protection and migration. Although recognising that contemporary city administrations may enjoy shrinking scope for choice, Pierre argues that the scope for such choice may have been historically overstated. Similarly, while ‘globalisation’ is often cited as a process tending to undermine city autonomy, it is contended here that ‘cities have always been exposed to brutal economic pressures from overseas’ (p. 147). While possibly not breaking a lot of new ground in this field, The Politics of Urban Governance is a concise and insightful text which will be valuable to many students and lecturers in the fields of urban policy and political studies. Written in a lively and succinct style, its diversely referenced arguments will open up a broad field for its readers.