Defining disease: Addressing the problem of overdiagnosis. This project will investigate and define the limits of physical disease, to answer questions about when a presentation is a disease, and when it is simply a risk factor or mild condition. The ensuing account of disease will make a practical contribution to growing international concern about asymptomatic people being diagnosed and treated for conditions that will not cause any health problems ("overdiagnosis"). The research will provide ....Defining disease: Addressing the problem of overdiagnosis. This project will investigate and define the limits of physical disease, to answer questions about when a presentation is a disease, and when it is simply a risk factor or mild condition. The ensuing account of disease will make a practical contribution to growing international concern about asymptomatic people being diagnosed and treated for conditions that will not cause any health problems ("overdiagnosis"). The research will provide normative grounds for evaluating disease claims. Results will reduce the harm caused by people receiving treatment that they do not require, make a practical contribution to debates about the scope of health care, and yield findings that can help to reduce the cost-burdens associated with overdiagnosis.Read moreRead less
Addiction, moral identity and moral agency: Integrating theoretical and empirical approaches. By clarifying and evaluating scientific claims about the moral impacts of addiction on the judgment and practices of drug addicted persons and by investigating the perspectives of users and treatment professionals, our project will contribute to the development of ethical and effective public policy, treatment and education programs in the addictions area, thus helping to address the causes and reduce t ....Addiction, moral identity and moral agency: Integrating theoretical and empirical approaches. By clarifying and evaluating scientific claims about the moral impacts of addiction on the judgment and practices of drug addicted persons and by investigating the perspectives of users and treatment professionals, our project will contribute to the development of ethical and effective public policy, treatment and education programs in the addictions area, thus helping to address the causes and reduce the impact of biological, social and environmental factors which diminish life potential in drug addicted persons. The innovative features of this project will enhance Australia's international reputation in bioethics and moral psychology, extend the reach of experimental philosophy, and facilitate future interdisciplinary work.Read moreRead less
Knowledge and attitudes about life extension technology: public and stakeholder perspectives. This comprehensive investigation will contribute new knowledge that will help Australians to better cope with the social and economic consequences of an ageing population. New developments in the biosciences promise the possibility of extending human life past 120 years. This study will assist government, healthcare providers and researchers to understand the public reaction to such developments and en ....Knowledge and attitudes about life extension technology: public and stakeholder perspectives. This comprehensive investigation will contribute new knowledge that will help Australians to better cope with the social and economic consequences of an ageing population. New developments in the biosciences promise the possibility of extending human life past 120 years. This study will assist government, healthcare providers and researchers to understand the public reaction to such developments and enable them to plan for the future. The study will contribute to future strategic research and train a future researcher in the priority health goal of ageing well, ageing productively.Read moreRead less
Commercial risk management in the health environment: exploring the legal and ethical boundaries of consent in genetic diagnostic research. There is little empirical research on consent in clinical research, particularly genetic diagnostic testing, despite its key significance to risk management in medical research practice. This study analyses consent procedures of clinicians and researchers for individual research participants. Key clinicians and Laboratory Heads engaged in genetic diagnostic ....Commercial risk management in the health environment: exploring the legal and ethical boundaries of consent in genetic diagnostic research. There is little empirical research on consent in clinical research, particularly genetic diagnostic testing, despite its key significance to risk management in medical research practice. This study analyses consent procedures of clinicians and researchers for individual research participants. Key clinicians and Laboratory Heads engaged in genetic diagnostic research will be interviewed and consent forms assessed. This will produce identification of trends in consent procedures and baseline information for national studies. The significance is the priority accorded genetic research, the need for adequate risk management in that context and development of optimal consent procedures and policy at State and National levels.Read moreRead less
International interventions: ethical, legal and political issues. The project is the first stage of a larger study in partnership with Canadian researchers. The pilot will develop case studies showing the political, ethical and legal issues currently influencing intervention within other States for peacekeeping, peacemaking or humanitarian reasons. There is currently no internationally agreed legal, ethical or political code underlying such decisions to intervene. Humanitarian disasters are like ....International interventions: ethical, legal and political issues. The project is the first stage of a larger study in partnership with Canadian researchers. The pilot will develop case studies showing the political, ethical and legal issues currently influencing intervention within other States for peacekeeping, peacemaking or humanitarian reasons. There is currently no internationally agreed legal, ethical or political code underlying such decisions to intervene. Humanitarian disasters are likely to increase with the proliferation of new states and re-emergence of ethnic and religious intolerance. Australia's defence policy recognises that peacekeeping is a significant function for our armed forces. Australia should influence thinking on when the international community should act.Read moreRead less
Disability, Welfare and Work. The proposed project will offer significant insights into the experiences of people with a disability in the context of welfare-to-work policies. The project will be able to gauge the extent to which the significant amount of public funds invested in the new welfare-to-work measures is effective. In 2002/03 the Australian Government invested over 300 million dollars in Open Employment assistance. The applied research into conceptual questions such as the correct mod ....Disability, Welfare and Work. The proposed project will offer significant insights into the experiences of people with a disability in the context of welfare-to-work policies. The project will be able to gauge the extent to which the significant amount of public funds invested in the new welfare-to-work measures is effective. In 2002/03 the Australian Government invested over 300 million dollars in Open Employment assistance. The applied research into conceptual questions such as the correct model of disability, the relation of obligation to our understanding of citizenship and associated ethical issues will assist in maintaining Australia at the cutting edge of applied philosophical and sociological research.Read moreRead less
The ethics of international intervention for humanitarian, pro-democratic and anti-terrorist reasons: The legal, ethical and institutional means of regulating interventions. Interventions are increasingly demanded for humanitarian, pro-democratic and anti-terrorist reasons. Changed geo-politics and the waning sovereignty of many states increase their likelihood. Using ethical, legal and institutional analysis informed by interdisciplinary case studies, this project brings together those workin ....The ethics of international intervention for humanitarian, pro-democratic and anti-terrorist reasons: The legal, ethical and institutional means of regulating interventions. Interventions are increasingly demanded for humanitarian, pro-democratic and anti-terrorist reasons. Changed geo-politics and the waning sovereignty of many states increase their likelihood. Using ethical, legal and institutional analysis informed by interdisciplinary case studies, this project brings together those working on these separate areas - the US Council on Foreign Relations and its International Task Force on Threats to Democracy, three Canadian Research Centres and the Key Centre (drawing on its work and those of other Australians). The aim is to provide potential answers to when, whether, how and by whom interventions should occur and the institutional means for regulating such interventions.Read moreRead less
Conceiving and Implementing National Integrity Systems Assessments (NISA). Integrity and corruption are conceptually linked opposites. Integrity systems (or 'ethics regimes') are the most powerful tools for dealing with corruption. They involve a range of institutions, law, procedures, practices and attitudes which encourage integrity and discourage/sanction its absence among public servants and those who might wish to corrupt them. This project will examine the way Australian government and bus ....Conceiving and Implementing National Integrity Systems Assessments (NISA). Integrity and corruption are conceptually linked opposites. Integrity systems (or 'ethics regimes') are the most powerful tools for dealing with corruption. They involve a range of institutions, law, procedures, practices and attitudes which encourage integrity and discourage/sanction its absence among public servants and those who might wish to corrupt them. This project will examine the way Australian government and business integrity systems (some of which have received international praise for their design and conception) function in order to improve their operation in Australia and to provide examples for other countries.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101097
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,127.00
Summary
Treatment-induced compulsive behaviours: Ethical and policy implications. Compulsive behaviours represent one of the largest preventable burdens in society. Some medications, such as those used to treat Parkinson's disease, can produce severe compulsions in certain individuals, which are akin to addiction. This project will explore: neurocognitive changes caused by these medications; the impact that drug-induced compulsive behaviours have on affected individuals, their sense of agency, identity ....Treatment-induced compulsive behaviours: Ethical and policy implications. Compulsive behaviours represent one of the largest preventable burdens in society. Some medications, such as those used to treat Parkinson's disease, can produce severe compulsions in certain individuals, which are akin to addiction. This project will explore: neurocognitive changes caused by these medications; the impact that drug-induced compulsive behaviours have on affected individuals, their sense of agency, identity and moral responsibility; and the ethical, legal and policy consequences of drug-induced behaviour. This project will help us to understand the neuropsychology of compulsive behaviour and reduce its occurrence. It will also enable society to meet the ethical and policy challenges raised by neuroscience research on compulsive behaviour.Read moreRead less
The Ethics of Socially Responsible Investment (SRI). This project investigates the ethical credentials of ethical investment - also known as Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) - in Australia. It will examine problems with SRI operations (such as screening, application of decision-making criteria and compliance monitoring) from the perspective of ethical theory; issues of shareholder advocacy; and the clash of ethical and fiduciary responsibility. It aims to make SRI more effective in connec ....The Ethics of Socially Responsible Investment (SRI). This project investigates the ethical credentials of ethical investment - also known as Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) - in Australia. It will examine problems with SRI operations (such as screening, application of decision-making criteria and compliance monitoring) from the perspective of ethical theory; issues of shareholder advocacy; and the clash of ethical and fiduciary responsibility. It aims to make SRI more effective in connecting investors? values to their investments by developing tools for SRI fund managers to exercise more sophisticated forms of ethical reasoning and decision making. This project opens up possibilities of significant transformation of capital markets within Australia.Read moreRead less