Ethics in Political Science Research

Abstract

Ethical dilemmas are much more common in political science than is commonly envisaged. In this chapter, we use the tripartite division between politics, polity, and policies, and discuss the specific ethical concerns of these three core areas of research in political science. Additionally, we discuss some of the current and future challenges of research ethics in the field addressing ethics issues related to the use of experiments, digital media, and the adoption of research designs that rest on action research. Overall, ethics considerations have become – and will become – increasingly important also in political science.