s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com€¦ · web viewyour research in capital punishment will be limited by...

“Check Yourself Box” Journal©Elizabeth M. Wheaton. (2018). The Economics of Human Rights. Oxford, Routledge.

Chapter 1: Economics of Human Rights

Check yourself box: Personal biases about human rights

Statistically speaking, it is unlikely that you are a human rights major and even less likely that you are a human rights expert. If you are, we are glad you have taken time to read this textbook. If you are not, you probably have some strong reactions to human rights. You may find it a topic of interest, but you may have some troublesome thoughts against individual issues or the whole field of human rights. As we have discussed, doing research with biases will affect the integrity of your research and can make it unreliable for policy analysis. This is a great time to write down those biases and the source of each bias. Take some time to write down a full account of your reasons for and against human rights in general or in regard to specific issues. This is not to test your worth as a person. It is to help you determine your personal biases, separate your biases from the information presented, and look at the human rights issue in a scientific way so that you can do the best possible economics analysis. Keep this list of your biases, consider how your biases align with or go against others’ biases, and see whether these biases change by the end of the chapter.

© 2019 Elizabeth M. Wheaton, Routledge.


Check yourself box: Human rights research and data biases

In the first check yourself box, you created a list of your personal biases about human rights. Now consider and write down possible biases of other persons and organizations. What is the researcher’s background? What benefit does an individual researcher gain from doing this particular research – personal association with the topic, more publications, prestige, or something else? What benefit does an organization gain from being part of this conversation – the implementation of an organizational agenda, influence on or control of policy-making, increased donations? These biases are likely to impact what research is completed, the data gathered, and the material published. Understanding these biases will help the researcher to discern the different sides of an issue and how biases affect outcomes.



Check yourself box: Changes to your biases about human rights

The goal of this textbook is not to teach you what to think about human rights, but rather to show you a new way to think about human rights issues. Look back at the first check yourself box (personal biases about human rights). Take a few minutes to write down whether your ideas about human rights changed. If they did, what are the reasons for the change – new information, a new way of thinking, something else? If your ideas did not change, what are the reasons there was no change? Be honest with yourself. It is possible, but not statistically probable, that you already knew everything that was presented. If you learned new things, are biases blocking you from discovering new tools or ways to use the tools you already possess? This process will help you discover how to be more scientific and to gain valuable information that you may never have encountered.


Chapter 2: Economics of Capital Punishment

Check yourself box: Personal biases about capital punishment

As we saw in the individual perspectives set out at the opening of this chapter, different people hold strong opinions for and against capital punishment. You may have known a little or a lot about capital punishment before starting this chapter. What are your thoughts on capital punishment? Do you tend to side for or against capital punishment? Have you had any experiences related to capital punishment? What have you read? Who have you met? And what impressions do you have that lead you to choose one side or the other? Discovery of your personal biases and the elements that helped to create your outlook on capital punishment will help you discern when your biases are coloring your research.



Check yourself box: Capital punishment research and data biases

Before looking at the economic structure of capital punishment, take some time to think about the biases that you may encounter in researchers, prosecuting and defense attorneys, judges, nonprofit organizations involved in the issue of capital punishment, and citizens who sit on juries. Why is each group a part of the capital punishment discussion? How would they benefit personally from abolishing capital punishment or maintaining the system? What are these people’s opinions of a person on death row? Who is collecting the capital punishment data and how might their backgrounds and goals bias the data? Your research in capital punishment will be limited by the background information and data provided by others, so it is important to understand how their biases may translate into variances in published research and databases.



Check yourself box: Changes to your biases about capital punishment

This chapter has taken you through the system of capital punishment, U.S. and international laws and agreements, the history of capital punishment in Texas, experts, and the economic structure of capital punishment. What are your thoughts about the efficiency of the capital punishment system? What do you think about the motives and actions of the decision-makers? Look again at the personal biases you listed in the first check yourself box. Has the additional information in this chapter strengthened, weakened, or changed any of your thoughts about capital punishment? Have you gained any new biases about this topic? What was the most influential thing you learned? Keep writing down the changes in your biases and the reasons behind the changes. A firm knowledge of how your biases develop and change will help you become an expert known for quality research.


Chapter 3: Economics of Violence against Women

Check yourself box: Personal biases about violence against women

Violence against women is widespread across all socioeconomic, racial, and geographic boundaries. It is possible that this violence is a part of your personal story or the story of someone you know. On the other hand, someone you know may have been falsely accused of violence against a female. Write down your thoughts about violence against women and the background and circumstances that led to those thoughts. It is important to be honest with yourself to see where your biases lie. This is a topic for which experience generates deep-seated biases. What books have you read or what movies have you watched that depict violence against women? What was your reaction to the violence (concern, anger, fear) or did you not notice a personal reaction, or the violence itself? If you are going to study a subject, you must learn what the subject means in your own context. Then you can use this insight to move forward with your research.



Check yourself box: Violence against women research and data biases

Why would some people and organizations work toward publicizing the issues surrounding violence against women? Why might others work to keep the information secure? How do these different motivations affect the information and data that they provide to the public? Some definitions of violence against women are not well-defined. How does the lack of terms affect the research and data collection? Not all forms of violence against women are illegal in all countries. How does the culture of a nation or area affect the laws and law enforcement that seek to keep women safe from abuse? It is important to your research to take note of each of the issues that can lead to biases in the research and data.



Check yourself box: Changes to your biases about violence against women

The material in this chapter is not only heavy, but also personal to many people. What are your thoughts after working through the chapter? What areas of the information do you question? Which ones do you disagree with? After writing down these answers, look again at the biases you listed in the first check yourself box. Have your biases changed? Did you gain new biases? Did you lose any biases? Each of these additions, subtractions, and changes affect your research. Make note of them and keep updating them for future projects to add quality to your work.


Chapter 4: Economics of Seeking Asylum

Check yourself box: Personal biases about seeking asylum

Write down your first thoughts when you hear the words refugee and asylum seeker. Do the terms elicit any emotions – anger, sympathy, wariness – or no emotion at all? Have you had a personal experience with a refugee or asylum seeker, or been one yourself? How do your friends and your family talk about refugees or asylum seekers? Do you tend to agree or disagree with them? Now that you know the difference between refugees and asylum seekers, do you have different opinions on the two groups? Remember that there are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Answering each can help you determine your biases in the area of asylum seeking. Having these biases in mind when you do research and stating them when needed makes your research more scientific and useable for policy-making.



Check yourself box: Seeking asylum research and data biases

Topics that are controversial can lead to bias in research and data collection. Seeking asylum is certainly a controversial topic, with opinions dependent upon personal experience, the opinions of friends and family, and economic and political situations. What are the “sides” of the issue? Look again at the experts on seeking asylum. What might their biases be? You can gain valuable information by looking at the biographical information on researchers and other decision-makers to see how their backgrounds play a role in their decisions. Who created the databases? Are there political, financial, or personal reasons why the data may be biased in some way? The point of this exercise is to clarify how scientific the research and data are and how they may contain bias or be misleading.



Check yourself box: Changes to your biases about seeking asylum

Write down your current thoughts about seeking asylum. What have you learned in this chapter that you didn’t know before? Now look at the information you wrote about your personal biases about seeking asylum in the first check yourself box in this chapter. Do you have exactly the same opinions you had when you wrote them? Are any of those biases stronger or weaker? If any of your biases changed, how did they change? You are simply trying to discern how the information presented in this chapter has informed, and possibly, shaped your biases. Each time you read or watch new information there is a possibility of it affecting your personal bias. Awareness of this fact can make you a stronger researcher.


Chapter 5: Economics of Terrorism

Check yourself box: Personal biases about terrorism

When did you first learn about terrorism? Were you aware of counterterrorism efforts? Did you know about terrorism beyond what you see on television in movies? How did you gain this knowledge? Do you view some groups as terrorists and others as freedom fighters? If so, what is the difference to you? Have you or a close friend had a personal experience with terrorism or counterterrorism? Your personal biases determine the course of your research, in good and bad ways. Make a list of your thoughts about terrorism. Think about how you would decide how much money, use of military, and policy-making to allocate to counterterrorism.



Check yourself box: Terrorism research and data biases

Who are the individuals and groups in charge of collecting and disseminating information and data about terrorism and counterterrorism? How do each benefit from being part of the terrorism discussion? How could their individual goals affect the information and data they collect and distribute? Are there reasons that a group or individual may want to keep certain pieces of information off the record? Biases in the information and data that you use will affect the viability of your research. Try to make a note of individual biases that may affect the data you are using so that you can try to counteract the biases before they bias your terrorism and counterterrorism research.



Check yourself box: Changes to your biases about terrorism

Have you learned any new information during the reading of this chapter? What topics made an impact on your understanding of the economics of terrorism? What areas do you disagree with? What are your current thoughts about terrorism and counterterrorism? Look back at the first check yourself box to see the list of initial thoughts you had about terrorism. Do you see adaptations to your way of thinking? What information do you still feel you are missing? Each piece of information can create a greater depth of information for you, but can also create new or changed biases. Keeping track of these changes and the reasons for these changes will help you discern how your personal biases might be skewing your research.


Chapter 6: Economics of Child Abuse

Check yourself box: Personal biases about child abuse

Child abuse hits close to the heart, whether it is from personal experience or witnessing the abuse of a child first-hand or from movies and literature. You may not consider some of the topics discussed to be child abuse, or you may have other topics that you consider child abuse that are not included in this textbook. Write down your thoughts about child abuse. What does child abuse mean to you? Have you personally experienced child abuse? Were you a witness to the abuse of a child? If someone is at fault, who is that person? Is there too much emphasis on child abuse today or does there need to be more? Which topics of child abuse are more important than others? Honest answers to this type of question will help you see where you are biased in the area of child abuse. Although your bias may be from wanting to champion the protection of children, the bias will stand out in your writing and may change your interpretation of information and data. If you have a strong bias in this area, you may want to ask another disinterested person to review your writing and edit for bias. This process will strengthen the way in which you do scientific research and make your research viable for policy-making.



Check yourself box: Child abuse research and data biases

What are the backgrounds of people who do child abuse research? Which groups control the child abuse databases? Who champions child abuse legislation? What are the primary goals of the government organizations that deal with child abuse? How is the funding of a nonprofit organization affected by the type or prevalence of child abuse it addresses? As we have seen in the previous sections, there are many reasons why children need champions. It is important to determine the biases of the different individuals and groups involved in child abuse work, research, and policy-making. Their biases can create intended or unintended changes in the information disseminated and the data gathered and will affect your research effectiveness.



Check yourself box: Changes to your biases about child abuse

What knowledge did you gain as you read through this chapter? Were there any relevant issues about which you were unaware? Does a part of you wish you had not learned about some of the topics? Research on child abuse can be emotionally difficult and it is an important step for you to journal the research experience, take time away to rest your mind, and to talk with someone who can understand the difficulties you are facing. Read over the personal biases you listed in the first check yourself box. How have your biases changed? Are there specific topics you now want to pursue? Do you simply want to move on to other “lighter” topics? Being honest with yourself in answering these questions will allow you to deal with the information and determine your biases about child abuse. Although this is a hard process, it will improve your ability to perform research on emotionally-charged topics and address the needs of policy-makers.


Chapter 7: Economics of Genocide

Check yourself box: Personal biases about genocide

The mass killing of people is not a topic most people dwell upon. Since genocides are going on at all times, most people are bystanders who do not get involved in the issue. What are your initial thoughts about genocide? Do you have a personal experience or do you know people who have had an experience that involved genocide? Have you read about or seen depictions of genocide? Is genocide a topic that interests you or one that challenges you? Does it concern you that a genocide is at times the historical aftermath of a past genocide by the opposing group? Your biases will partially determine how much of the information about genocide you are able to understand and use for research. Take time to write down your thoughts on the issue of genocide so that you will be aware of times when your biases are affecting your understanding, and therefore the way you use the information.



Check yourself box: Genocide research and data biases

The purpose of genocide is to eliminate the existence of an opposing group. How do the experts and researchers benefit from being involved in the conversation surrounding genocide? What are the primary and secondary goals of the government and nongovernment organizations involved in preventing genocide? Who is collecting the data and how might their biases be affecting the numbers collected? Do any of these groups tend to belittle certain actors in a genocide situation? While the prevention and elimination of genocide are noble goals, biases can affect the viability of research and data for policy-making. Keeping track of these biases will help you determine your own biases and improve the quality of your personal research.



Check yourself box: Changes to your biases about genocide

You have read about the way a genocide develops, the legal agreements surrounding the issues, and the participants and their motives for involvement. What are your current thoughts on genocide? Do you see it as an issue that cannot be solved or an issue that needs to be addressed in a number of different ways? What do you view as the primary causes of genocide? Write down your current biases on the issue of genocide and the different actors. How have your biases changed from what you initially wrote in the first check yourself box? Did you gain new biases? Because genocide involves an intricate system of benefits and costs, your research as an economist is vital to finding solutions and creating effective policy. Knowing your biases helps to remove them from the equation so that you can research and write scientifically.


Chapter 8: Economics of Hate

Check yourself box: Personal biases about hate

When confronted with an idea or trait that you dislike, are you able to step back, analyze the facts, and make educated decisions, or do you have an automatic and possibly quick-tempered response? No matter your race, gender, religion, politics, or creed, you have beliefs that bias your research. In order to become known as a researcher who provides valuable, unbiased research, it is important that you brainstorm and list any biases that you perceive may affect your research. Take some time to write down areas in your life where you have strong preferences for and against ideas, people, and other things. Be honest with yourself. In this way, you will be better able to analyze the decision-making process related to bias, discrimination, and hate presented in this chapter and to do relevant research in the areas related to hate.



Check yourself box: Hate research and data biases

Hate is an intense emotion and actions and words related to hate elicit strong personal responses. Check into the backgrounds of the activists, researchers, and organizations working in areas related to hate. Who is collecting the information and data related to hate? What are their motivations – personal experience, academic or career prestige, funding, or something else? How does the data on hate affect these individuals’ and organizations’ primary and secondary goals? Could their motivations bias the data they collect and the information they disseminate? Understanding the biases present in the data and literature you are reviewing and using can help you sort out the biases that affect your own understanding and the effectiveness of your research for policy-making.



Check yourself box: Changes to your biases about hate

Within each chapter of this textbook, you saw actions that related to feelings like hate. Each of us has strong feelings for and against certain ideas, people, and things. Do you have a better understanding of how bias, especially in the extreme case of hate, plays a role in people’s actions and words? What are your current thoughts about hate? Are some actions or words based on intense feelings acceptable to you? What are the situations in which this could occur? Review the information you wrote in the first check yourself box in this chapter. Has this chapter in any way changed your perception of hate? Understanding your personal biases helps you not only to sort out the issues within yourself, but also makes you more attuned to other people’s biases that can have an effect on your research.


s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com€¦ · web viewyour research in capital punishment will be limited by...

Documents