Decolonial health literature can increase our thinking about ethics dumping

This article draws on the underexplored or novel accounts of inclusion and the moral accounts of decolonization in African health decolonial literature to increase our understanding of how ethics dumping manifests in health research partnerships, and what more ought to be done to eliminate this phenomenon. African decolonial health literature proposes inclusion that matters - conceptualized as substantial, respectful and deep engagement with African agency - as a solution to end domination or mitigate the appearance of inclusion. Based on this supposition, the harm of ethics dumping - and I demonstrate how - is that it fails to engage the agency of Africans, and listen to or echo their voices in health and health research collaborations on the continent, or research collaborations that have significant implications for them. This account of inclusion can usefully increase our thinking about ethics dumping, which is ultimately and in several ways a failure to practice responsible science. Research is required to increase our understanding of what could reasonably constitute responsible science from a variety of perspectives.

Automated summary

This article explores the manifestation of ethics dumping in health research partnerships and suggests measures to eliminate it by drawing on the underexplored or novel accounts of inclusion and the moral accounts of decolonization in African health decolonial literature. It argues that ethics dumping fails to engage the agency of Africans and listen to their voices, thereby highlighting the importance of inclusion. By considering inclusion as a solution, responsible science can be practiced and ethics dumping can be addressed effectively.