Research Ethics System in Latvia: structure, functioning, and problems

Abstract

The paper attempts to provide an updated and holistic description of the research ethics system in Latvia and discuses the problems in its structure and functioning. It is based on the data gathered in an empirical study of RECs in Central and Eastern Europe in 2008 and it is structured according to the integrated framework proposed by Hyder et al. First a short outline of the historical development of the ethics review system in the 1990s is given, then the issues of general social, political and economic background and the resultant enabling conditions, as well as the national and regional strategy of ethical review are reviewed. Next, the discussion turns to institutional commitment, the factors influencing the quality of review, and ethically relevant aspects of investigators’ behavior. The main conclusion is that current developmental conditions are not too favorable for research ethics review; despite the overall progress, several crucial enabling conditions are not in place yet.