Ethical Principles for the All Data Revolution–Repurposing Administrative and Opportunity Data

• Activity Number: 469 - Using and Linking Administrative and Auxiliary Data
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Wednesday, July 31, 2019 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Government Statistics Section
• Author(s): Stephanie Shipp* and Sallie Keller and Aaron S Schroeder
• Companies: University of Virginia, Biocomplexity Institute & Initiative, Social & Decision Analytics and University of Virginia, Biocomplexity Institute & Initiative, Social & Decision Analytics and Social & Decision Analytics Division, BII, UVA
• Keywords: Ethics; Checklist ; Fairness; Benefit; Openess; Reliabilty

Abstract

The all data revolution has transformed the conduct of social science research through the incorporation of data science, but ethical dimensions should not be compromised. Researchers can now observe behavior based on repurposing existing administrative and opportunity data without consent or awareness by those providing the data. The principles set forth in the Belmont Report on Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research are still as applicable as when these principles were first established in 1978. These principles are respect for person, beneficence, and justice to ensure the fair distribution of risks and benefits. Discussions about ethics need to be a natural part of every research project, especially when repurposing data for analytical purposes. A publicly-shared ethical checklist at each research stage can help researchers identify and frame any potential concerns and evaluate their relative impacts. A key part of this checklist is the assessment of implicit biases. Ethical principles require the implementation of everyday practices around documentation, transparency, ongoing discussion, questioning, and constructive criticism