Human Subjects Requirements and Economic Education Researchers

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an Internet-based survey of economic educators who were asked about their knowledge and experience with human subjects research and the mandated federal protocols that govern such research at most American universities. The results indicate that while economic education researchers are experienced in conducting human subjects research and are aware of the federal regulations, they are not well informed about key details of the regulations. They are skeptical of the net benefits of the mandated protocols because of the perceived discouraging burdens of the paperwork that rarely result in significant modifications of their research projects. The authors conclude that modifications to the federal regulations for classroom-based research projects may be warranted given the relatively high opportunity costs of adhering to the regulations compared to the relatively low levels of perceived benefits.

Keywords: research, human subjects, regulation, Institutional Review Boards

JEL Classification: A2, C8