The ethics of the study of social problems

We begin this chapter with some comments about the nature of social problems in contemporary political discourse, followed by a review of the ethical principles of respect, beneficence and justice, and related institutionalized guidelines. We illustrate our argument with examples related to “social problems” associated with migrants, refugees, and ethnic diversity. We argue that those engaged in researching social problems not only need to conduct their inquiry with a view to the traditional ethical questions of harms, benefits, consent and confidentiality, but also to consider how to do so in societies with a declining commitment to ameliorating the conditions of the less powerful.