DDIG: Bioethics Byplay?: The Performances of Bioethics in the Private and Public Sectors

本文比较了美国私营和公共部门的生物伦理委员会，以更好地了解他们的建议和对科学实践的影响之间的异同。虽然个人可能会认为私营部门的道德委员会不如公共部门的道德委员会有效或尖锐，但几乎没有对这种假设进行经验评估。该项目研究了两个私营部门伦理委员会，即SmithKline Beecham伦理和公共政策委员会和高级细胞技术伦理咨询委员会，以及两个政府伦理委员会，即国家生物伦理咨询委员会和总统生物伦理理事会的任务、人员和活动。目的是比较公共和私营部门生物伦理委员会的经验和紧张关系（在任务、成员、合法性和咨询意见方面），以及生物伦理委员会对其特定目标受众可能产生的影响（如果有的话）。（以及伦理学家在两个部门之间的交叉）将有助于更广泛地了解这些委员会在实践中如何运作。通过文献综述、半结构化访谈的定性分析和理论构建，本项目将为未来生物伦理委员会的组成和任务提供基于经验的政策指导。此外，对道德操守委员会在公共和私营部门的贡献进行分析，将有助于了解它们的长处和短处，从而有可能帮助那些希望建立更有效的道德操守咨询委员会的组织。反过来，更有效的道德操守委员会可能会提高科技研发带来的社会效益。

This dissertation compares bioethics committees in the private and public sectors of the United States to better understand the similarities and differences between their recommendations and impact on scientific practice. Although individuals may assume private sector ethics boards are less effective or strident than public sector ethics committees, there is little empirical evaluation of this assumption. This project studies the missions, personnel, and activities of two private sector ethics committees, SmithKline Beecham's Ethics and Public Policy Board and Advanced Cell Technology's Ethics Advisory Board, and of two government ethics committees, the National Bioethics Advisory Commission and the President's Council on Bioethics. The goal is to compare experiences and tensions across public and private sector bioethics committees (in terms of mandate, membership, legitimacy, and advice), and the impact (if any) bioethics committees can have on their particular intended audiences.Investigating how ethics committees function in corporate laboratories and government agencies (and the cross-over of ethicists between the two sectors) will contribute to a broader understanding of how these boards work in practice. Through literature review, qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews, and theory-building, this project will contribute empirically grounded policy guidance about the constitution and mandate of future bioethics committees. Moreover, an analysis of ethics boards' contributions in both the public and private sectors will provide knowledge about their strengths and weaknesses, thereby potentially aiding organizations that wish to create more effective ethics advisory committees. In turn, more effective ethics boards may enhance the societal benefits derived from science and technology research and development.