Global Bioethics: Myth or Reality?
Author Information
Author(s): Søren Holm, Bryn Williams-Jones
Primary Institution: Cardiff University
Hypothesis
Is bioethics a unified global field of inquiry in a sociological sense?
Conclusion
The studies indicate that there is no unified global field of bioethics, as evidenced by geographical and institutional differences in academic behavior.
Supporting Evidence
- Web-linking patterns show limited interlinking between bioethics institutions across different countries.
- US bioethics papers are cited more frequently than non-US papers, indicating a geographical bias.
- Buying patterns of bioethics books vary significantly between countries, with little overlap in bestsellers.
Takeaway
The study looked at how bioethics is practiced around the world and found that different regions have their own ways of thinking about it, which means there isn't one single way to do bioethics.
Methodology
The study analyzed web-linking patterns, citation patterns, and buying patterns of bioethics literature.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the focus on English language sources and the exclusion of non-English bioethics literature.
Limitations
The study only sampled five countries and focused on English language bioethics, which may not represent global practices.
Participant Demographics
The study included bioethics institutions and researchers from the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and France.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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