METHOD OF SOCIAL INQUIRIES

Method of Social Inquiries

Method of Social Inquiries

Introduction

The heart and core of this paper is to critically analyze the research methods applied by the writer Venkatesh while conducting his research on a very serious topic. Venkatesh published his book “Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets.” (Venkatesh, 2008) in 2008 the book quickly acclaimed by the critics and acquired general reader's thumbs up. But fingers were raised by sociologist over the ethical considerations and guidelines which were duly neglected while conducting this whole research. The main aim and goal of this paper is to look in to this matter through both perspectives. First concluding with the ethical guidelines and standard ethical issues and than with the negligence towards social responsibility repeated performed by the author of this book. (Venkatesh, 2008, 137)

Ethical Issues and Guidelines

Carrying out of research on number of social issues in modern era has almost become a routine matter. It started of after World War II, that the researchers have become convinced about the key ethical principles that should become the part of the research process.” Two marker events stand out (among many others) as symbolic of this consensus The Nuremberg War Crimes Trial following World War II brought to public view the ways German scientists had used captive human subjects as subjects in oftentimes gruesome experiments. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study involved the withholding of known effective treatment for syphilis from African-American participants who were infected.” (Online Information, 2003) Such events paved the way for having a review of “ethical standards and the gradual development of a consensus” that highlighted the “potential human subjects” requiring to be protected from further use. The mechanics of the situation however underwent a transformation, when cancer patients and persons with AIDS, expressed their reservations regarding medical research and got the process expedited for reduction of the time needed to get approval for research in the case of fatal diseases as mentioned before. “In many cases, it is the ethical assumptions of the previous thirty years that drive this 'go-slow' mentality. After all, we would rather risk denying treatment for a while until we achieve enough confidence in a treatment, rather than run the risk of harming innocent people” . (Bryman, 2008, 125)

With the above logic, the concept of a code of research ethics was introduced in the conduct of research process, or while planning a study, “the student has the responsibility to make careful evaluation of its ethical acceptability, (Babbie, 1973) 1 This gave / assumed then great importance, in determining the ethics for the considerations of survey research in future studies. The description and the importance of the main ethics i.e. Informed Consent - Voluntary Participation - Confidentiality - Anonymity etc is therefore given in subsequent paragraphs. (Bullock, 2003, 159)

Informed Consent

Informed consent means “that prospective research participants must be fully informed about the procedures and risks involved in research and must give their consent to participate” (Online Information, ...