The Busara Institutional Scientific and Ethical Review Committee: Critical infrastructure to support high-quality ethical research in the global majority

Forscher Patrick, Robert G. Nyaga, Joel M. Wambua, Gladys Muange

SECTOR

Culture Research Ethics and Methods

PROJECT TYPE

Scientific review

DOI

https://doi.org/10.62372/ALHL7911

Location

Global

BEHAVIORAL THEME

Research ethics

OVERVIEW

This Groundwork introduces the Busara Institutional Scientific and Ethical Review Committee (Busara ISERC), a specialized ethics review board designed to support high-quality behavioral science research in the global majority. Drawing on Busara’s experience conducting research in complex social contexts, the paper argues that existing ethics review systems often struggle to address the unique ethical risks of behavioral science while remaining efficient and contextually informed. Busara ISERC was created to strengthen ethical oversight through behavioral science expertise, community representation, accountability, and operational efficiency.

Research Questions

How can ethical oversight of behavioral science research be strengthened in the global majority?
What structures are needed to identify and mitigate context-specific risks to research participants and communities?
How can ethics review systems balance rigorous oversight with efficient research implementation?
What role should participant perspectives and community knowledge play in research ethics governance?

Methods

The Groundwork draws on Busara’s organizational experience conducting behavioral science research, lessons from participant-centered ethics initiatives, analysis of ethics review systems in Kenya, and reflections on real-world research case studies. It documents the development of Busara ISERC, including participant consultations, institutional benchmarking, process design, regulatory engagement, and the creation of governance structures intended to improve ethical review and post-approval monitoring.

THEMATIC AREAS

Key Findings

Behavioral science research in the global majority faces unique ethical risks that are often difficult to anticipate and manage.
Existing ethics review systems may be under-resourced, overburdened, or lack specialized expertise in behavioral science.
Ethical harms can emerge not only from interventions themselves, but from how communities perceive and experience research activities.
Meaningful ethical oversight requires deep understanding of both behavioral science methods and local social contexts.
Community engagement and participant perspectives are critical to designing respectful and ethical research processes.
Busara ISERC was developed to address these challenges through a model that combines scientific expertise, community input, accountability, and streamlined review processes.

Implications for Policy or Development

Stronger ethics infrastructure is essential for supporting high-quality behavioral science research in the global majority.
Ethics review systems should incorporate behavioral science expertise and meaningful community representation.
Research governance should extend beyond protocol approval to include monitoring, learning, and continuous improvement.
Participant dignity, respect, and relationship-building should be treated as core components of ethical research practice.
Models such as Busara ISERC can help strengthen locally grounded research ecosystems and reduce dependence on ethics frameworks designed primarily for other contexts.
Expanding specialized ethics review capacity could improve both the quality and credibility of behavioral science research across the global majority.