Abstract
In an article written for a legal audience, The Most Dangerous Branch of Science?: Reining in Rogue Research and Reckless Experimentation in Social Welfare, (Dwyer, 2022), I illustrated this phenomenon by describing what has happened in the child welfare world in recent decades. In the article, I recommend legal reforms to address the problems, including mandating a more robust IRB [institutional review board] review, broadening the concept of unethical research, treating policy experimentation as research subject to ethical rules, and authorizing lawsuits against those who purchase or conduct intentionally skewed studies that result in harmful policy innovations. I offer here a summary of the article’s main points...
This abstract has been taken from the author's introductory paragraphs.
Document Type
Editorial
Publication Date
2-2025
Publication Information
35 Research on Social Work Practice 119-120 (2025)
Repository Citation
Dwyer, James G., "Guardrails Needed for Social Science Research" (2025). Faculty Publications. 2238.
https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/facpubs/2238